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Following is a speech by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mrs Rita Lau, at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Hong Kong Mobile Film Festival - award presentation ceremony for "Mobile Film Production Contest" today (March 26):
John (Chiu), K T (Yung), Simon (Goodrich), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. I am delighted to join you at the award presentation ceremony of the Second Hong Kong Mobile Film Festival.
First of all, my congratulations to all the contestants on the vibrant creativity shown in your competition entries. Your creative pieces are truly amazing. I am especially delighted to see contestants taking part in the secondary and primary school sections and am encouraged to see such quality and diversity of work from animation to live action, covering original themes with strong narrative, among the entries this year. It is through channels such as these that we are able to draw out our talent and those who may not know even themselves that they have such good potential.
To provide a conducive environment for our creative talent to grow and industries to develop, we will continue to support the development of new communications technology. We recently announced the implementation framework for mobile TV services in Hong Kong and will release the frequency spectrum for auction later this year. The launch of broadcast-type mobile TV services will provide a new platform and a new arena for exploring creativity.
The demand for content suitable for this new media - able to exploit the portability and convenience that is a defining feature of mobile TV - will offer new outlets for designers, artists and producers. The Mobile Film Festival clearly shows us that we have the necessary talent to make Hong Kong a centre for the development of this content in Asia. And don't forget: just as the apple iPhone has spawned a whole new industry responding to the demand for the applications that make the iPhone so much fun, so will the introduction of mobile TV offer new opportunities that we probably have not yet imagined.
The success of the Hong Kong Mobile Film Festival is due to the hard work and dedication of the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association and the Hong Kong Productivity Council. This event has been developed in recognition of the growing convergence of technology, media and art in Hong Kong and provides a wonderful showcase for those working in this emerging field. I thank them for organising the festival this year and I look forward to this event going from strength to strength.
I extend my heartiest congratulations to all the winners of this year's awards. Awards are public recognition of your hard work, talent and creativity. In many ways, though, the more important aspect of an awards ceremony is the opportunity it allows you to see what others are doing, to share ideas, techniques and, no doubt, the frustrations of working in your chosen field. I am sure that what you have experienced and learned through participating in this event will stand you in good stead in the year ahead.
Thank you.
Ends/Thursday, March 26, 2009
Issued at HKT 12:02
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