Event Preview: FILMART

Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) is returning to a physical format this year, to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from March 13 to 16, after three years as an online event.

“We have been constantly observing the situation of Covid for the possibility of hosting a physical event,” an organizer tells World Screen Weekly. “After the HKSARG relieved the travel restrictions in late December, inquiries from mainland Chinese and overseas exhibitors and participants were flooding in. We are delighted to know that the industry is excited about reconnecting with one another face-to-face again for business exchanges.”

The organizers are now working in full swing to accommodate participants from all around the world with travel assistance.

As one of Asia’s largest entertainment content marketplaces, as well as Asia’s first content market in the calendar year, FILMART aims to provide a one-stop platform for international industry players to source the latest film and TV productions, reconnect with one another and explore changes in consumer preferences and behaviors.

Along with hosting exhibitors, the four-day event will feature seminars, screenings, press conferences and other special events, as well as business matching meetings. The 2023 event is tracking to be of a similar scale to the past physical edition, housing over 20 large-scale pavilions and over 600 exhibitors from 25 countries and regions. There will continue to be a strong presence of Asian content, especially from Mainland China. The worldwide pavilions include Mainland China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Italy, the U.S. and Europe. Participating mainland provinces include Beijing, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai and more. The three major Mainland Chinese streaming platforms—iQIYI, Tencent and Youku—will also present at FILMART this year. Following in line with the record-breaking box offices in Hong Kong over the past few months, FILMART is gathering a strong lineup of local filmmakers, including Edko, Emperor Motion Pictures, Golden Scene, Media Asia, One Cool Pictures, PCCW Media, Universe and more.

The EntertainmentPulse conference was introduced last year to much success, and the series will return in 2023 and be held concurrently with FILMART. As part of EntertainmentPulse, leading industry representatives will provide the audience with the latest market insights and industry trends. Executives taking part include Jiang De Fu of Bona Film Group, Hou Hong Liang of Daylight Entertainment, Sebastian Kim of Korean media conglomerate CJ ENM, Sanmesh Thakur of India’s ZEE Entertainment and Ziraviss Vindhanapisuth of BEC World from Thailand. They will be discussing market insights across Asia’s entertainment landscape, upcoming content trends and the potential of the Asian market. The conference series will also cover a range of cross-media trends, including the future of Web3 entertainment, the hype around dating and romance reality shows, Chinese animation “donghua” as soft power, as well as a panel with Hong Kong directors on the spring of Hong Kong movies.

The three years of virtual conferences have shown organizers that having an online component can be a powerful tool in many ways. For participants to continue their business journey and discussions at the fairground, a one-month online extension of FILMART will be provided for exhibitors and buyers to meet and chat, showcase their productions and access unlimited on-demand conferences.

“We hope international participants can reconnect with their business partners and establish new connections, leveraging the physical and online platforms of FILMART,” the organizers say. “Through the four-day event, we hope people can rebuild their confidence in the industry and manage to find the right path for future development.”