And Action! The Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum Calls for Film Projects

Forum Connects Best Filmmakers with International Partners and Investors

Hong Kong, 22 August, 2016 – The 15th Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) is calling on filmmakers to submit projects for the next forum which will take place in March 2017. Organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) and running concurrently with the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART), HAF is Asia’s leading film-financing platform that connects filmmakers to internationally prominent film-industry financiers, producers, production companies, post-production houses, distributors, buyers, co-production ventures and film festival delegates. Next year’s event will take place from 13-15 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

HAF now invites submissions of fiction and documentary feature length projects. The submission deadline is 21 October 2016. Selected projects will be invited to participate in the film financing forum activities in Hong Kong and will also stand to compete for awards with a total value of approximately HK$600,000 (approximately US$78,000). An early bird discount is offered to projects submitted on or before 19 September 2016.

All submissions can opt to be listed in the “HAF Project Hub”, an initiative that started in 2015. This official online repository and reference library serves as a bridge between filmmakers and potential investors. Investors can look up and request updated information on filmmakers and project status, and applicants can also revise and update their own projects. The HAF Project Hub aims at increasing exposure for film projects while adding value and longevity to HAF submissions.

HAF has partnered with the International IP Commercialization Council to enhance protection and security for projects in the Hub. When a project proposal is submitted to the Hub, the International Knowledge Registry (IKR) system will encrypt the proposal which will be stored in a safe place by a trusted authority.

Sharing the same vision to encourage quality Chinese-language projects, HAF is pleased to continue its collaboration with Fox International Productions and Fox Networks Group (FNG) Asia to present the “HAF/FOX Project Award”. Projects submitted for this award are required to provide a full script in Chinese, and have both director and producer attached. Cora YIM, Senior Vice President and Territory Head of Hong Kong, Fox Networks Group, said: “We are very happy to once again work with HAF. This award aims to nurture promising Chinese projects which has regional appeal. We look forward to working with the winners on their project to promote the development of Chinese cinema.”

Previous attendees have praised the forum. “HAF is consistently the best financing forum in Asia. The projects were of high quality and diverse in subject matters,” said Terence CHANG, producer of The Crossing and Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale among many others. TRAN Thi Bich Ngoc, producer of The Third Wife (HAF 2016) commented: “HAF is professional and efficient. I’m grateful to be part of HAF in 2016. It’s not only the opportunities to meet sale agents, distributors, financiers, but also the opportunities to connect with other filmmakers and understand what they are doing, how they are doing, stories of how they make their first feature. To me, every minute spent there is precious."

In previous years numerous HAF projects have achieved critical success. Wolf and Sheep (HAF 2015), directed by Shahrbanoo SADAT, won Art Cinema Award at Directors' Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival 2016. Behemoth (HAF 2014), an environmental documentary by ZHAO Liang, entered competition at the Venice Film Festival 2015. My Land (HAF 2013), directed by FAN Jian, was selected in the Panorama section of Berlin Film Festival 2016 and the Hong Kong International Film Festival 2016. Philip YUNG’s Port of Call (HAF 2011), based on a real-life controversial murder case in Hong Kong, was the closing film of the Hong Kong International Film Festival and won numerous awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards 2016, including Best Actor, Actress and Screenplay. Crosscurrent (HAF 2011) directed by YANG Chao won Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the Berlin Film Festival 2016.

For more details on the 15th HAF’s submission procedures, application eligibility and selection criteria, please visit http://www.haf.org.hk, or contact HAF via email: haf@hkiff.org.hk.