FILMART Closes With Record Of 7,100+ Visitors

	The 19th edition of Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) drew a record number of over 7,100 visitors, a six per cent increase compared to last year. The number of local visitors rose five per cent compared to last year to more than 3,200
	Digital entertainment was a key theme of the fair, including the Digital Entertainment Summit (right) where Jeff Gomez, transmedia specialist behind Avatar and Transformers, shared his insights on the evolving filmmaking industry. The Animation and Digital Entertainment World zone (left), was re-designed this year
	A slew of business deals were announced during FILMART which featured a wide range of buyer opportunities and networking receptions
	A press conference was held to announce a collaboration between Filmko Entertainment and mainland Chinese game developer 37 Games to develop a game version of the film The Monkey King 2
	More than 70 seminars, screenings and film premieres were held to announce new projects and share market intelligence

27 March 2015 – The Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) drew to a close yesterday with a record number of more than 7,100 visitors having taken part in the 19^th edition of the event, the largest of its kind in Asia. While the overall number of visitors represented a six per cent increase compared to last year, overseas visitors were up eight per cent. Indonesia, Japan and Taiwan all saw double-digit percentage visitor growth.

Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) over four days at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), FILMART gathered more than 780 exhibitors from over 30 countries and regions.

Brisk Business
As well as showcasing new productions and services, companies used the event to announce their latest projects and clinch deals. Among the slew of deals reported during FILMART was India’s JDR Films’ purchase of Arclight Film’s Jungle Nest. Hollywood-based Arclight also reportedly sold TEANA 10,000 Years Later to Hong Kong and Indonesian companies. Another US company, Shoreline Entertainment, clinched its first deal in Asia when it sold The Incident, an acclaimed science fiction thriller, to Japan's Zazie Films on day-two of FILMART. A mainland Chinese exhibitor from Hangzhou found several visitors at the fair with whom the company struck deals to sell television programmes said to be valued at a total of over US$5.5 million.

Richard Brownsey, President and CEO of Canadian company Creative BC, summed up the mood of the fair, saying; “We see Hong Kong as the gateway to Asia.”

Movie Marathon
More than 400 screenings were held during FILMART, including over 80 film premieres featuring the works of Hong Kong as well as regional and international filmmakers. The ninth edition of TV World welcomed more than 360 exhibitors with the theme of this year’s TV World International Forum examining “The Rise of TV Streaming – Opportunities and Challenges”.

New Trends
This year’s fair saw a number of significant trends emerging, including strong participation from Asia. Guangdong (Guangdong Motion Picture Industry Association), Malaysia (Malaysia Multimedia Development Corporation, MDeC) and Vietnam (Vietnam Cinema Association) film associations established pavilions for the first time. Regional Industry players from the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan returned to FILMART with sizeable delegations to promote their entertainment products and services. In addition to major film companies in Hong Kong, there were also new companies from Macau as well as the United Arab Emirates and Latvia.

American Pie
The US film industry enjoyed a large slice of the FILMART action. A total of 47 US exhibitors took part in FILMART, including 26 organised by the US Independent Film & TV Alliance. On the sourcing side, the US Commercial Service brought nine missions comprising over 220 visitors from Asia to FILMART to do business with US exhibitors. FILMART also marked first-time collaboration with the Producers’ Guild of America (PGA) to organise a panel discussion on “Making Asian Films in America”, featuring producers of top Hollywood Films as well as Academy Award winning independent films. Meanwhile, Jeff Gomez, the transmedia producer for Avatar, Transformers & Halo, was among the speakers at the Digital Entertainment Forum.

Bigger Picture
FILMART is one of the founding events of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong which continues until 19 April. Including FILMART, the Expo umbrella covers a total of 10 high-profile multimedia events from TV, music and digital entertainment at venues across Hong Kong. 

Fair Website:
Entertainment Expo：http://www.eexpohk.com

Videos:
Entertainment Expo Hong Kong 2015: https://youtu.be/9vWi8rsxgPQ
Filmmaker Philip Yung’s Port of Call inspired by a true story: https://youtu.be/ULSGaVyH2v8
Tech And Trade Talk at FILMART: http://youtu.be/xbX_blDY2qU

Media Enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Corporate Communication Department:

Joe Kainz     Tel: (852) 2584 4216           Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org

About the HKTDC
A statutory body established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and service providers. With more than 40 global offices, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China and throughout Asia. The HKTDC also organises trade fairs and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in overseas markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com.