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Three Hong Kong films were presented at the 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival, the longest-running film festival in the Americas.
"Bodyguards and Assassins", "Vengeance" and "Empire of Silver" are among the 176 films screened at the festival. Renowned Hong Kong film producer and director Mr Peter Chan attended the festival and the VIP reception hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, San Francisco (SFETO).
More than 200 distinguished guests attended the reception prior to the screening of "Bodyguards and Assassins", which was produced by Mr Chan, today (May 2, San Francisco time).
Welcoming the producer at a reception in his honour, the Director of SFETO, Mr Jeff Leung, said that talent like Mr Chan's has ensured that Hong Kong's film industry continues to thrive.
"I am proud to say that over the past few decades, Hong Kong producers, actors, directors and cinematographers have become household names at a global level by producing high quality movies. In the past 10 years alone, Hong Kong movies and film talent have won over 300 international awards. Last year, Hong Kong films and talent won a total of 52 awards in 12 film festivals held on Mainland China and overseas.
"The international interest in Hong Kong films is also reflected in the moves by Hollywood to acquire rights to remake Hong Kong movies. 'The Departed' and 'The Eye' are some of the examples," said Mr Leung.
He also said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is dedicated to building a favourable environment for the film industry to continue to flourish.
"The Film Services Office was established to promote Hong Kong films and support film productions, as well as to provide one-stop and free services to filmmakers who choose Hong Kong as a filming location.
"The Film Development Fund was established and US$38.5 million has been allocated to provide financial support for the production of small-to-medium budget films, and to finance projects which are beneficial to the long-term development of the film industry. At the end of January 2010, the Film Development Fund approved 14 film projects with a total funding of about US$5 million," he said.
The implementation of the Mainland China and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement in 2003 has also broadened horizons for Hong Kong's film industry.
Mr Leung said that Hong Kong is an excellent location for filming because of its unique cityscape and rich East-meets-West cultural traditions. Movies such as "The Dark Knight", "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" and "Push" had made Hong Kong their filming location.
He welcomed film practitioners to make use of the experience of the Hong Kong film industry and the wide range of film production services and facilities in Hong Kong. With the hard work and talent of Hong Kong directors and producers like Mr Peter Chan, Hong Kong movies would continue to set new standards and receive international acclaim, he added.
Ends/Monday, May 3, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:25
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