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

2. 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?

3. Decline of HK Film Indusry 19932007 Number of local films released 24250 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

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Top ten box office movies in China 1994-2006 RankFilm TitleBox Office (RMB, in Millions) YearCountry of Origin 1Titanic3961998US 2 Hero ( ) 2422002China, HK 3Curse of the Golden Flowers ( 2302006 China HK 4 House of the Flying Dagger ( ) 1412004China, HK 5Kung Fu Hustle ( ) 1362004China HK 6The Promise 1352005China, HK, Japan, SK 7Banquet ( ) 1302006China 8Pearl Harbor1052001US 9 Fearless 1032006 China HK 10A World Without Thieves ( ) 1022004 China HK

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.