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MUMBAI: The next Hong Kong Asia – Film Financing Forum
(HAF), scheduled for 20 - 23 March 2007, is now accepting
submissions. The deadline for sending in the project is 31
October 2006.
The upcoming edition of HAF will be organised by the Hong
Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFF), with assistance
from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the
Hong Kong, Kowloon & New Territories Motion Picture Industry
Association Ltd. (MPIA).
The HAF is a key financing forum held concurrently with Hong
Kong Filmart – the Asian film, television, and multi-media
business platform. In 2006 the HAF awarded six prizes to filmmakers
judged to have outstanding projects by the advisory board. Prizes
totalled over HK$400,000 in cash and HK$200,000 in in-kind support,
informs an official release.
The HAF aims to connect Asian filmmaking talent with upcoming
theatrical film projects with financiers, producers, funding
organisations, distributors and buyers in order to foster
international co-production ventures. The HAF is a unique
opportunity for filmmakers to present and discuss their projects
individually with an array of potential partners in its three
days, the release adds.
Filmmakers from across Asia who have participated in past HAF
events include Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Tsai Ming-Liang, Kore-Eda
Hirokazu, Nonzee Nimibutr, Jira Maligool, Jiang Wen, Lou Ye,
Miike Takashi, Stanley Kwan, Ann Hui, Iwai Shunji, Peter Chan,
and Ning Hao, who commented, “HAF is an excellent platform
for film directors to offer their scripts for consideration
to interested companies, allowing both parties to meet and communicate."
The HAF was instrumental in the production of Ning’s Crazy
Stone, and was considered an invaluable resource by the director.
Ratanaruang’s Invisible Waves and Tsai’s The Wayward
Cloud each went on to screen in competition at Berlin, and Maligool’s
The Tin Mine was Thailand’s official entry for Academy
Award consideration.
Completed HAF projects have gone on to screen at the world’s
most prestigious international film festivals, among them
Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, Locarno, Pusan, and Deauville.
The HAF international partners include CineMart and Hubert
Bals Fund of Rotterdam, Pusan Promotion Plan, Paris Cinéma,
and the Rome Film Festival.
The HAF’s international advisory board includes a host
of respected industry professionals. Among them are Ido Abram
(The Netherlands), Terence Chang (USA), Roger Garcia (USA),
Oh Jung Wan (South Korea), Jerome Paillard (France), Liz Wrenn
(UK), Daniel Yun (Singapore), Aihara Hiromi (Japan), Mingmonkol
Sonakul (Thailand), Tian Zhuang Zhuang (Chinese mainland),
and many more.
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