The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFF Society) has partnered with talent agency CAA China on an initiative to support the growth and development of Chinese-language genre projects.
The HKIFF Industry-CAA China Genre Initiative (HCG) will select five Chinese-language genre projects, which will be presented as a parallel section to next year’s Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) and scheduled to run together from March 11-13, 2024 during the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (Filmart).
Two of the selected HCG projects will each be awarded a cash prize of $20,000 sponsored by CAA China and receive customised guidance from mentors. CAA China may also enter into script development agreements with the winning projects.
CAA China CEO May Gu said: “We are witnessing the rise of a new generation of Chinese filmmakers who are the backbone of Chinese cinema. By collaborating with HKIFF Society, our aim is to discover and support young filmmakers with industry awareness and mainstream expression. We want to facilitate their integration into the professional landscape while upholding due regard for the audience and the prevailing market trends.”
CAA China was established in 2017 by China’s CMC Capital Partners and US talent agency CAA. With offices in Beijing and Shanghai, its portfolio ranges from films, TV, music and sports to brand partnerships. Notable directors represented by CAA China include Layla Ji (All These Years, Victim(s)), Li Fei (The Gift, Two Tigers), Li Xiaofeng (Back To The Wharf, Ash), and Zhang Mo (Who’s The Suspect, Sniper), while writers Chen Ji (The Long Season), Li Wei (Shadow), and Zhou Yunhai (Godspeed) are also on its client roster.
CAA China’s clients involved in previous HAF projects include director Lei Lei (Silver Bird And Rainbow Fish), actor Xue Xuchun (A New Old Play, Silent Ghosts, and The Wind Will Say), cinematographer Robbin Feng (A New Old Play), film editor Liu Xinzhu (The Cloud In Her Room), and colourist Fu Shu (All About ING and The Cloud In Her Room).
HKIFF Industry director Jacob Wong said: “The collaboration with CAA China is a testament to our growing reputation and demonstrates our commitment to pushing boundaries in promoting exciting new projects. It expands HKIFF Industry’s strategic partnership base in Asia.”
HCG is the latest endeavour initiated by HKIFF Industry, which was launched in 2021 to consolidate the industry services of HKIFF Society, putting HAF Film Lab, HAF’s in-development (IDP) and work-in-progress (WIP) project market, HAF Goes to Cannes and HKIFF Collection under the same banner.
The 6th HAF Film Lab is underway and runs until September 1, with eight Chinese-language projects from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan.
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