Policies for a Sustainable Development of the Hong Kong Film Industry Joseph M. Chan Anthony Y.H. Fung Chun Hung Ng

Introduction §Strategic importance of the film industry to Hong Kong §The decline of the Hong Kong film industry §Key question: What is to be done to reinvigorate and establish the Hong Kong City Cinema?

Decline of HK Film Indusry Number of local films released Box office of local films HK$ 1,133 million220 million Number of foreign films released NA181 Box office of foreign films HK$ 406 million831 million

Methods §Multiple methods: l documentation analysis l case studies: UK, SK, China l in-depth interviews with movie practitioners, experts and government officials

Approaches §Historical overview of the Hong Kong film industry and film policy §Assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of HK film industry §Learning from the experiences of UK and South §Assessment of the China market §Setting out the policy recommendations for the Hong Kong Government, the film industry and other parties

Policy Recommendations 1 §For the geo-linguistic, geo-cultural and global markets l Greater China l East Asia l Southeast Asia, l the United States and other parts of the world

Top ten box office movies in China RankFilm TitleBox Office (RMB, in Millions) YearCountry of Origin 1Titanic US 2 Hero ( ) China, HK 3Curse of the Golden Flowers ( China HK 4 House of the Flying Dagger ( ) China, HK 5Kung Fu Hustle ( ) China HK 6The Promise China, HK, Japan, SK 7Banquet ( ) China 8Pearl Harbor US 9 Fearless China HK 10A World Without Thieves ( ) China HK

Policy Recommendations 1 §Aiming at the China and Guangdong markets l A proven market l Co-productions l CEPA l Censorship l Guangdong/Pearl River Delta Market l The role of the SAR government Lobbying Beijing to enforce CEPA faithfully, for greater autonomy Soliciting the support of the HKTDC and the Governments overseas offices in promoting HK movies and generating overseas market reports Crackdown on piracy l The role of the movie industry Expanding exhibition and distribution network in China Have faith in the urban sensibilities of Hong Kong

Policy Recommendation 2 §For quality productions l The central importance of movie scripts l Story-telling techniques §Replacing monoculture with diversified productions §For a film culture l Promoting an appreciative and critical culture l The HKFDC should promote film criticism, recognize the achievements of movie practitioners, and make good movies readily accessible online to the public l Film appreciation and criticism should also be incorporated as part of the secondary school curriculum. §Taking strong actions against piracy

Policy Recommendations 3 §Strengthening the Hong Kong Film Development Council l To serve as a coordinating agency for promoting Hong Kong movies l To use its global networks to gather market information for the HK film industry l To rationalize the system by which the film industry receives feedbacks about itself. l To place emphasis on small-budget and medium-budget films l To enlarge the audience for the small-budget movies l To commission script writing through a review process

Policy Recommendation 4 §For a Steady Supply of Talent §The power of the Beijing Film Institute §The rise of the South Korean film industry §The need for a film academy with an emphasis on the key areas of scriptwriting, directing and producing §The film academy and other film programs should take the measures needed to make Hong Kong a place of exchange in film culture

Concluding Remarks §The film policy of Hong Kong should form an integral part of a larger policy dealing with cultural industries. §Time is not on the side of the Hong Kong movie industry. A concerted effort is required. §The Hong Kong Government, among others, has to demonstrate focused commitment and a heightened passion for an industry that is so important to the citys economy and culture.