Hong Kong: The opening ceremony for the fifth Entertainment Expo Hong Kong (EEHK) and the third Asian Film Awards was held yesterday evening at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

“Covering nine multimedia events in four critical sectors – film, television, digital entertainment and music – Entertainment Expo has firmly cast Hong Kong as the entertainment capital of Asia,” said HKTDC Chairman Jack So.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Financial Secretary John Tsang said, “We will shortly establish a new office - "Create Hong Kong" (CreateHK) - to support the development of our creative industries. CreateHK will realign resources from various government departments to enable us to respond more effectively to the industries' demands, and better serve them through a one-stop service.”

Jang added, “In my Budget last month, I earmarked $300 million, to support the development of our creative industries over the coming three years. This will be in addition to the existing funding schemes established to support our design and film sectors. The Government's total financial commitment to creative industries is currently more than $1 billion.”

EEHK’s three founding events include the Hong Kong International Film and Television Market, or Filmart, the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation Ceremony. EEHK also features six core events: the Asian Film Awards; the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum; the Hong Kong Music Fair; the IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award 2008; the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum 2009; and the Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards.