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Members of the public will be able to view a series of promotional short films which call for public support in making Hong Kong a more film-friendly city.
Six promotional films featuring Jackie Chan, Cecilia Cheung, Leslie Cheung, Stephen Chiao, Stephen Fung, Ann Hui, Michael Hui, Louis Koo, Tony Leung, Tsui Hark, Tung Wai and Cecilia Yip, will be screened on television and in cinemas starting today (July 23).
At the premiere of the promotional films this afternoon, Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing, Mr Eddy Chan, said that location filming had always been a problem in a crowded city like Hong Kong.
"The artistes and the props, together with the filming equipment and film crew members, can cause inconvenience to members of the public. Furthermore, filming activities will always attract large crowds of onlookers who occupy the passageway, thus making it more difficult for location filming to take place. While the community may be more tolerant towards road works which they see as clearly essential to the circulation of the city, they often regard filmmaking as a major nuisance. But a vibrant film industry is also crucial to our economic health and global image," he said.
"We fully recognise that there is a need to enhance the public's understanding of the importance of the film industry and the various social and economic benefits that the industry could bring to our community. This awareness may render the public more sympathetic and tolerant with regard to the various inconveniences which may be caused by location filming activities."
With this in mind, Mr Chan continued, the Film Services Office (FSO) has organised a publicity campaign entitled "Support Filming in Your Community", which is launched today through the premiere of the promotional films.
As part of the campaign, a roving exhibition will be staged at eight venues in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories between August and December. In November, the FSO will co-organise with the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild a forum which will provide a channel for communication between the film industry and the community on matters of mutual concerns in relation to location filming. Publicity leaflets and posters are also available at the 18 district offices.
To minimise the various inconveniences that location filming activities may cause to the local community, the film industry has agreed among themselves to enhance their professionalism by being more self-disciplined when conducting location filming activities. As a first step, nine major film industry associations have now published "The Hong Kong Filmmakers Code of Practice" and agreed to abide by it.
"The film industry is important to our economy. It creates job opportunities both in the film sector and in the many local businesses serving the industry. Apart from creating a resource which has considerable export value, it also establishes our city's skyline and infrastructure as a recurring landmark on screens around the world, thus attracting tourists to Hong Kong," Mr Chan said.
"With the support of our community, I am confident that we will be able to enhance Hong Kong's position as a major international film production centre in Asia."
Also attending today's ceremony included Mr Ng See-yuen, Convenor of the Hong Kong Film Workers' Guild (Preparatory Committee); Mr Yee Tung-sing, Chairman of Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild; and film celebrities starring in the promotional films.
END/Monday, July 23, 2001
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