The Hong Kong FILMART 2012 took place in the Convention & Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, Hong Kong from 19 - 22 March. The market's main focus is geared to focusing on Hong Kong as a crucial center for buying and selling of films and TV.

The overall feeling of this year's market outcome was very positive. Producers, sellers and buyers from all over the world attended the Filmart and most were pleasantly surprised by their success at Hong Kong’s young but rapidly growing in importance international film market.

I met with Indian producer Rohit Khaitan from Bombay, India who had traveled to HK FILMART in search of possible sales agents and/or distributors for his Indian/Czech Republic film currently in the final stages of post production called: PRAGUE (2012). Here is what he had to say:

ROHIT: “Well all I would say is FILMART was exciting- Hong Kong is emerging as a bigger market for buying and consuming international content in the entire South East Asian territory. FILMART gave me a gateway to many new avenues for the access of my under production film PRAGUE in international territories. People have shown immense faith and it gives me more confidence that market is very much opened and receptive for fresh and appealing content. At Such market you dont only understand the economics but also get updated with the new trends, taste of cinema and exchange of ideas and thoughts from a creative and economics point of view.” 

Alongside this year’s FILMART, Hong Kong’s key international TV and film market, HAF (Asia Film Financing Forum) Hong Kong took place from 19-21 March. HAF is an annual event where filmmakers from around the world are awarded prizes of up to HK$350K in development funds. This year eight awards were given to filmmakers for select projects that showed exceptional merit; these won prizes in money and an impetus for the advancement of the project itself. Every year 25-30+ projects are selected. This year a total of 32 film projects were presented.

This year’s HAF winners are:

1) For Hong Kong project in development: ‘The MacLennan Affair’ by Derek Tsang and Jimmy Wan.

2) For project in development awarded outside of Hong Kong: ‘Balloon’ from Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden.

Written by Vanessa McMahon, March 28, 2012 ‪‬ 

Producer Rohit Khaitan in Hong Kong at HK FILMART.