The 21st Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) Brief Report
The 21st Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) was held as a physical, in-person event supplementary with online meetings for the first time since 2019 from 13 - 15 March at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre in conjunction with the 27th Hong Kong Film & TV Market (FILMART).
The forum was organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS), co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and financially supported by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) and Film Development Fund (FDF). Held concurrently with Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) for the sixteenth time, HAF was once again one of the core events of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong.
HAF is widely recognised as one of the most significant film-financing platforms in Asia. Over the three-day period, HAF attracted leading film financers, producers, distributors and buyers, connecting them with talented filmmakers through business meetings and seminar, pitching and networking events for potential co-production opportunities.
1. Shortlisted Projects
This year, HAF received 244 submissions in the In-Development Project (IDP) section and 93 submissions in the Work-in-Progress Project (WIP) section. 28 IDPs and 15 WIPs were selected.
2. International Partners (in alphabetical order):
1) Asian Project Market (APM), Busan International Film Festival (South Korea)
2) Beijing Film Market, Beijing International Film Festival (China)
3) CineMart, International Film Festival Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
4) Festival Scope, Moving Scope SAS (France)
5) Film Bazaar, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) (India)
6) FIRST International Film Festival (China)
7) Focus Asia, Far East Film Festival (Italy)
8) Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (FPP), Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (Taiwan)
9) Marché du Film (France)
10) Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF), Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea)
11) SIFF Project, Shanghai International Film Festival (China)
3. Concurrent Events and Advisory:
Concurrent Events:
l Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF)
l HKIFF Cine Fan
l Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART)
Advisory:
The 21st HAF’s advisory is comprised of esteemed industry professionals, including:
· 7 International Advisors
· 1 Honorary Legal Advisor
· 4 Project Reading Committee Members
4. Industry participation:
Private business meetings were arranged for 28 selected IDPs and 15 selected WIPs. Participating HAF guests included film financiers, film producers, film buyers and distributors, film festival delegates, representatives of film funds and film commissions, production companies and post-production houses.
HONG KONG
· 127 Wall Entertainment Limited, 70 Plus Production Company Limited, ARRI Hong Kong, Asian Film Awards Academy, Asian Shadows, Broadway Cinematheque, Chinachem Group, Chinese Shadows, CJ ENM HK, Emperor Motion Pictures, Film Workshop Co., Ltd., Golden Scene Company Limited, Good Move Media, Heaven Pictures (HK) Culture & Media Co., Ltd., Hong Kong International Film Festival, KINO (Asia) Industries Limited, Irresistible Films, Media Asia Film, Medialink Entertainment Limited, mm2 Studios Hong Kong Limited, Moebius Entertainment, Renaissance Foundation Limited (Eye Catcher), Sixty Percent Productions Limited, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Stoneman Films Limited, The Lady Improper, The Walt Disney Company (Hong Kong) Limited, We Distribution Limited, We Pictures Limited and Xstream Pictures.
CHINA
· Aim Media Pictures, Beijing Hugoeast Media Co., Ltd., Beijing Mihehua Film Co., Ltd., Beijing Sisideba Media Co., Ltd., Bridging the Dragon, Bright East Films Limited, Dino Films, Dongchun Films Co., Ltd., Donwa Pictures, FIRST International Film Festival, Gootime Media Co., Ltd., Green Ray Films (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Hishow Entertainment, Huace Pictures, JiangSu OMNIJOI Movie Co., Ltd., La Fonte, Lantern Film, Maoyan Entertainment, Midnight Blur Films, Monar Films, MoreJoy Pictures Co., Ltd., Open Culture Entertainment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., QC Media, Rediance, Shanghai Film Comrades, Shanghai International Film Festival | SIFF Project, Universal Pictures China and Xiamen Hengye Pictures Co., Ltd.
TAIWAN
· Aview Images, CalFilms Limited, Creative Century Entertainment, Flash Forward Entertainment, Greener Grass Production Co., Ltd., Machi Xcelsior Studios, Million Star Entertainment Inc., Perfect Sound Co., Ltd., Pigeon Co., Ltd., Swallow Wings Films Co., Ltd., Taipei Culture Foundation-Taipei Film Commission, Taipei Film Festival, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival | Film Project Promotion, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), Time Vision Co., Ltd., Top Film and Triple Film House Limited.
JAPAN
· Asmik Ace, Inc., Bitters End, Inc., Tokyo International Film Festival and UNIJAPAN.
SOUTH KOREA
· Bom Film Productions, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival | Network of Asian Fantastic Films, Busan International Film Festival | Asian Project Market, CJ ENM, October Pictures Korea, Seoul Film Commission and Showbox Corp.
OCEANIA & SOUTHEAST ASIA
· G.H.Y Culture & Media Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), Jaikon Media Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (Indonesia), Mega Film Distribution Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) | Film Bazaar (India), New Zealand Film Commission (New Zealand), Singapore International Film Festival (Singapore), Sydney Film Festival (Australia), V Movies & Media Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), Westec Media Limited (Cambodia), White Light Studio (Thailand), WME Independent (Singapore) and World Film Festival of Bangkok (Thailand).
FRANCE
· Cannes Directors' Fortnight, Charades, CNC, Dissidenz Films, Reel Suspects, Totem Films and WIDE.
UNITED KINGDOM
· BFI London Film Festival, MUBI, Plaza Mayor Company Limited and Trinity Filmed Entertainment.
EUROPE (OTHERS)
· An Original Picture (The Netherlands), Antidote Sales (Sweden), ArtHood Films (Germany), Berlin International Film Festival (Germany), Berlinale Forum (Germany), Films Boutique (Germany), Finding Films (Germany), Fribourg International Film Festival (Switzerland), International Film Festival Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Intramovies (Italy), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech Republic), Picture Tree International (Germany), San Sebastian International Film Festival (Spain), Tucker Film (Italy), Ties That Bind (Italy), Udine Far East Film Festival | Focus Asia Project Market (Italy) and Venice International Film Festival (Italy).
CANADA
· Syndicado Film Sales and Toronto International Film Festival.
UNITED STATES
· Cheng Cheng Films, Magnolia Pictures International, New York Asian Film Festival, SK Global Entertainment, Studio Strada and Sundance Film Festival.
OTHERS
· Cercamon (United Arab Emirates) and Gum Films (Israel).
5. Project Accomplishments:
HAF alumni have gone on to enjoy both box office success and critical acclaim at major film festivals around the world with their completed projects, effectively realising the opportunities offered by the forum.
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Absence (IDP 2022) by Wu Lang was shortlisted for Berlin International Film Festival Encounters 2023. |
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Art College 1994 (IDP 2018) by Liu Jian was shortlisted for Berlin International Film Festival 2023. |
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Forms of Forgetting (WIP 2021) by Burak Çevik was shortlisted for Berlin International Film Festival Forum 2023 and Cinéma du Réel 2023.
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Stonewalling (WIP 2021) by Huang Ji and Otsuka Ryuji was shortlisted for Hong Kong International Film Festival 2023, Giornate degli Autori, Venice Film Festival 2022, Toronto International Film Festival 2022, New York Film Festival 2022, BFI London Film Festival 2022 and Tokyo FILMex International Film Festival 2022. |
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When the Waves Are Gone (IDP 2016) by Lav Diaz was shortlisted for Venice Film Festival 2022, Busan International Film Festival 2022, Tokyo International Film Festival 2022 and Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival 2022. |
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Children of the Mist (WIP 2020) by Ha Le Diem was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film of the 95th Oscar Academy Awards; selected in Cinéma du Réel 2022, Visions du Réel 2022; won Jury Prize in Documentary Competition, Hong Kong International Film Festival 2022 and Best Directing Award in the International Competition and Best First Feature Special Mention, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2022. |
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The Sunny Side of the Street (WIP 2022) by Lau Kok Rui won Best Leading Actor, Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay, Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2022 and Best New Performer, Hong Kong Film Awards 2023. |
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A Light Never Goes Out (WIP 2021) by Anastasia Tsang won Best Leading Actress, Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2022. |
6. Event Highlights
Over the three-day period, HAF organized business meetings and networking events including Welcome Drinks, WIP Open Pitch, Awards Presentation Ceremony and Closing Party, to connect global film financers, producers, distributors and buyers with talented filmmakers, encouraging collaboration across borders and facilitating financial support for the Asian cinema. Event highlights are as follows:
A) HAF – Welcome Drinks
Date: 12 March 2023 (Sunday)
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Venue: I-O-N Central Market, Shop 124, 1/F, Central Market, 93 Queen's Road Central, Central
Attendees: 150 guests
HAF organized Welcome Drinks Party and generated networking opportunities for filmmakers, industry partners and advisories to interact with each other before the official opening of HAF.
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Mr. Albert Lee, HKIFFS Executive Director welcomed the distinguished guests. Filmmakers signed autographs and took photos for a memorable moment. |
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Filmmakers, partners, advisors and guests enjoyed themselves and expanded their network during the Welcome Drinks. |
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B) Project Meetings
Date: 13 – 15 March 2023 (Monday to Wednesday)
Venue: HAF Fairground, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
HAF arranged business meetings over the three-day period to connect filmmakers with global investors, distributers and buyers to explore co-production opportunities.
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C) WIP Open Pitch
Date: 13 March 2023 (Monday)
Time: 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Venue: Starlight Theatre, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Attendees: 561 guests
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This year marked the 7th edition of “Work-in-Progress” Open Pitch and resumed the physical format. Filmmakers from the shortlisted 15 feature fiction projects were invited to present their projects on the stage at the Starlight Theatre on 13 March, 2023. The aim of the open pitch is to promote the selected film projects and connect the talented filmmakers with professionals and investors, post-production companies, distribution agents and film festival programmers. The target audiences are the film industry professionals attending FILMART and HAF. 561 guests are recorded from various countries. Private meetings with the attendees were also arranged potential collaboration.
The 15 shortlisted fiction feature projects are Ma Xiang's The Actor, Lin Jianjie's Brief History of a Family, Liang Ming's Carefree Days, Nele Wohlatz's Do Fish Sleep with Their Eyes Open?, Sasha Chuk's Fly Me to the Moon, Saurav Rai's Guras, Hou Dasheng's Hani, Su Hung-En's Hunter Brothers, Peng Tzu-Hui and Wang Ping-Wen's A Journey in Spring, Peng Tao's Listening to the Wind, Kwan Man-hin's The Remnant, Lien Chien-Hung's Salli. Qu Youjia's She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones, Patiparn Boontarig's Solids by the Seashore and Tomina Tetsuya’s Who Were We?.
D) HAF Awards Ceremony
Date: 15 March 2023 (Wednesday)
Time: 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Venue: Starlight Theatre, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Attendees: 327 guests
The 21st Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF21) successfully concluded on 15 March with the announcement of the recipients of 20 cash and in-kind awards worth more than HK$1,330,000 (approximately US$170,000), including those from new sponsors Chinachem Group, ARRI Hong Kong, and the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA).
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Dr the Hon Wilfred Wong, GBM, GBS, JP, Chairman of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, delivered a speech at the Awards Ceremony. Group photo of the award-winning filmmakers and guests. |
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Gary Mak, Assistant Head of Create Hong Kong and Secretary General of Hong Kong Film Development Council presented the awards below:
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Gary Mak, Assistant Head of Create Hong Kong and Secretary General of Hong Kong Film Development Council presented the awards below:
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Other Winning Projects:
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CCG Grand Award Fly Me to the Moon (Hong Kong) by Sasha Chuk |
Heaven Pictures Young Director Award Fly Me to the Moon (Hong Kong) by Sasha Chuk |
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mm2 Award Fly Me to the Moon (Hong Kong) by Sasha Chuk |
TAICCA Award Skin Coat (Singapore) by Tan Wei Keong |
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Taipei Film Commission Award Racing Storm (Taiwan) by Lin Yu-Hsien Skin Coat (Singapore) by Tan Wei Keong |
ARRI Award The Mermaid’s Tale (Taiwan, Hong Kong) by Norris Wong |
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White Light Post-Production Award (IDP) |
White Light Post-Production Award (WIP) |
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Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) Award The Poison Cat (Mainland China) by Guan Tian |
Udine Focus Asia Award The Poison Cat (Mainland China) by Guan Tian |
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HAF Goes to Cannes Program Brief History of a Family (Mainland China) by Lin Jianjie Fly Me to the Moon (Hong Kong) by Sasha Chuk Hani (Hong Kong) by Hou Dasheng Salli (Taiwan, France) by Lien Chien-Hung Who Were We? (Japan) by Tomina Tetsuya |
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E) HAF Closing Party
Date:15 March 2023 (Wednesday)
Time: 9:00pm - 11:00pm
Venue: Pool Room, Soho House Hong Kong, 30/F, Soho House Hong Kong, 33 Des Voeux Road West, Sheung Wan
Attendees: 250 guests
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Filmmakers from all over the world and a group of guests celebrated the successful conclusion of the HAF21 at the Closing Party, where they enjoyed a delightful evening of drinks and festivities. |
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F) HAF Goes to Cannes
HAF partners with Marché du Film the seventh time and presents the program "HAF Goes to Cannes" at Marché du Film of Festival de Cannes this year. Onsite screening was held on 21st May at Palais K, Palais de Festival. Online screening took place at Marche du Film’s website on 22nd May. Five WIP projects including Brief History of a Family, Fly Me to the Moon, Hani, Salli, and Who Were We? were selected. These projects enjoyed the benefits of footage screening of their films, online meetings with guests and industrial professionals, project exposure, social networking opportunities, press release and newsletter mention offered by the organiser.
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7. HKIFF Industry Screenings @ FILMART (HIS@FILMART)
HIS@FILMART aims at showcasing the latest titles to buyers, exhibitors and film festival programmers attending the FILMART and HAF to facilitate sales and festival exposure.
9 films were showcased at HIS@FILMART 2023, including 1 world premiere, 1 international premiere and 3 Asian premieres.
For screening schedule of HIS@FILMART 2023, please refer to https://event.hktdc.com/fair/hkfilmart-en/s/13436-For_Visitor/Hong-Kong-International-Film---TV-Market--FILMART-/Screenings.html for more details.
8. HAF Statistics
Financiers and Appointments
The participating guests included film financiers, film producers, film buyers and distributors, film festival delegates, representatives of film funds and film commissions, production companies and post-production houses. Throughout the three days of HAF, 1,004 business meetings were arranged for 43 selected projects.