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Organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore (HKETO, Singapore) and Golden Village Multiplex, the Hong Kong Film Festival 2010 opened in Singapore today (April 8) with "Crossing Hennessy", a romantic comedy starring Jacky Cheung and Tang Wei.
Speaking at the gala opening, the Director of HKETO, Singapore, Ms Subrina Chow, said the film festival will introduce six quality Hong Kong movies to the Singaporean audience.
These movies, which have not been shown in Singaporean cinemas before, will not only show Hong Kong filmmakers' talents but will also reveal the evolving character of the charming city and the seven million people who make it tick, said Ms Chow.
The four-day festival will run until April 11. Besides "Crossing Hennessy", it will feature award winning films "KJ: Music & Life" and "The Way We Are", iconic animation "McDull Kung Fu Kindergarten" and crime thriller "Black Ransom". The festival will close with "Prince of Tears", Hong Kong's Oscar entry in the foreign film category.
Ms Chow said: "The film industry is no doubt the flagship of Hong Kong's creative industries. Since 1997, Hong Kong films and filmmaking talent have won over 300 international awards."
Saying that the Hong Kong Government is keen to support the future development of the film industry, Ms Chow pointed out that a Film Development Fund (FDF) was set up in 1999, with an additional $300 million injected in 2007 to provide part-financing to small-to-medium budget film productions.
She said it also supported the promotion of Hong Kong films on the Mainland and overseas, and the training of talent in various aspects of film production and distribution.
"Our Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with the Mainland of China has opened the door for Hong Kong-Mainland co-productions. Out of the top 10 domestic box office films on the Mainland last year, seven were Hong Kong-Mainland co-productions," she added.
Lastly, she thanked the director of the opening film "Crossing Hennessy", Ms Ivy Ho, for gracing the gala premiere.
Festival-goers will have the chance to interact with Ms Ho and the director of the closing film "Prince of Tears", Mr Yonfan, after the screening of their movies tomorrow and on Sunday respectively.
Festival-goers also stand a chance to win a holiday package to Hong Kong by emailing their submissions on what they regard as the most iconic Hong Kong film and giving a reason for their choice.
Ends/Thursday, April 8, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:01
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