First Hong Kong film festival opens in Thailand

Thailand's first Hong Kong Film Festival, which will display 10 internationally awarded HK movies, was launched in Bangkok Thursday night.

The event, organized by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Singapore, will present those selected HK movies to Thai for free in downtown Bangkok from April 27 to April 30.

Speaking at the gala premiere, which attracted some 300 Thai government officials and representatives from trade associations and the film industry, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong government John Tsang said Hong Kong films have gained worldwide acclaim over the years as outstanding performances by HK actors, directors and producers have grabbed with over 300 international awards.

"As home to more than nine million overseas Chinese, which is more than the entire population of Hong Kong, Thailand offers huge opportunities for our city's film productions. Bangkok, with its own proud cinematic history, is also a prime location for exchange and information-sharing in the field of film art," said Tsang.

"This is why we are organizing the first Hong Kong Film Festival here in Bangkok," he said. Hong Kong boasts a total population of 7.1 million.

The opening movie, "A Simple Life", has scooped awards at regional and international film festivals, including the Venice Film Festival, Taipei's Golden Horse Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards which was held earlier this month.

In recent years, Hong Kong's film industry has broadened its horizons through closer collaboration with its counterparts in China Mainland. The Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has vastly expanded access to the Mainland's movie market, said Tsang.

"I encourage Thai film companies to use Hong Kong as the gateway to tap the growing business opportunities in the Mainland. "