This year’s FILMART, Asia’s leading entertainment marketplace, together with the concurrent EntertainmentPulse conference, showcased the latest trends and developments that are reconfiguring the entertainment industry value chain, including the rising prominence of international co-productions, AI, Asian animation and much more.
More than 7,600 industry players from 42 countries and regions took part in the event, which recently concluded in Hong Kong.
A wide-ranging programme called Producers Connect made a successful debut, combining business matching and networking events, as well as workshops and on-stage discussions to help strengthen and develop international producer networks. More than 1,300 participants took part.
The new initiative was jointly organised by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Creative Industries Development Agency, the Hong Kong Film Development Council (HKFDC) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).
During a dedicated conference panel, renowned film-making executives from around the world – including French producer, Natacha Devillers from France, who is currently working in Mainland China, Justin Kim from Korea and Gabriela Tocchio from Brazil – shared insights on overcoming cultural differences and logistical challenges as part of Producers Connect.
A related fireside chat series also reviewed commercial opportunities across emerging markets, such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, as well as overseas markets like the United Kingdom, among other areas.
This year’s FILMART had a notably wide geographical scope, bringing together more than 760 exhibitors from 34 countries and regions.
New overseas pavilions included delegations from Australia, Cambodia, France, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.
First-time participants, including Armenia, the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan, as well as buyers from emerging markets such as Argentina, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, underscored Hong Kong’s role as a bridge connecting film and television markets worldwide.
The participation of ASEAN countries also significantly increased with over 100 exhibitors taking part, a 50% increase from last year.
Meanwhile, regional pavilions ran distinctive programmes to showcase their film, television and entertainment industries to global participants.
Thailand's Ministry of Culture hosted two forums highlighting its creative capabilities, while Indonesia themed its participation around global partnerships.
The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) focused on Asian collaboration. The agency also held several successful meetings during FILMART, included talks on co-production funding with the Hong Kong’s Cultural and Creative Development Agency, an MoU with the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) and discussions with Cambodia on market access.
The exhibition’s spotlight feature, a pilot project called AI Hub, brought together ten exhibitors showcasing innovative AI solutions.
Riding on the success of Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2, EntertainmentPulse hosted a forum on AI opportunities that included special presentations from some of the films creators. An accompanying article on Hong Kong Means Business, ‘AI here to stay, say film insiders’ has more on this fascinating session.
The Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) was also held during FILMART, where 48 selected film projects participated in business matching sessions with investors, producers and distributors from more than 35 countries and regions.
To facilitate industry exchange and rights trading, FILMART also featured 24 screenings, including 10 world premieres, seven international premieres and five Asian premieres, alongside pitching sessions and business matching activities.
This year’s event follows a revamp of the Hong Kong’s film financing program, which was unveiled by the HKDFC earlier this year.
The Film Production Financing Scheme 2.0 aims to step up support for local filmmakers by increasing the available funding while allocating more money earlier and introducing more measures to lower the risk for investors.
