MUMBAI: The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) will be held from 22 - 24 March 2005 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).
Four awards will be presented to filmmakers at the Haf Awards presentation ceremony on 24 March.
Haf is being co-organsied by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories Motion Picture Industry Association (MPIA). Haf is a matchmaking forum and aims at facilitating possible co-productions and co-ventures between Asia's most promising filmmakers and a host of film financiers, distributors, buyers and agents.
Earlier this year a Reading Committee of seasoned industry professionals selected 28 promising film projects from across Asia for this year's Project Book. Four of these film projects will be selected to be the recipients of monetary and in-kind awards from a host of industry supporters.
The Haf Award will present HK$100,000 to a Haf project from the 10 Hong Kong-based projects selected in this year's Project Book. Chosen by the Haf Reading Committee, this award will be granted to a film project for the creativity of the synopsis.
The Focus Award will present HK$120,000 to a Haf project submitted by a director with three or fewer feature drama films to his/her portfolio. Then there is The Hubert Bals Fund Award worth HK$100,000. The Hubert Bals Fund Award of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, an International Partner of the Haf, will present the award to a Haf project by a filmmaker from a developing country. Selected by a representative of the Hubert Bals Fund, this award will be granted to a filmmaker from either China, Indonesia, Thailand, Iran or the Philippines. Hubert Bals says, "The future of cinematography is not to be expected from Europe or the US, but all the more from lesser known film cultures."
The Cinedigit Award will present two awards valued at HK$100,000 each to two Haf film projects regarded as possessing the best potential for co-financing. Selected and presented by the Hong Kong based production company Cinedigit Sound the two awards will recognise the synopsis of filmmakers with promising co-financing ability.
There will also be a film financing symposium on 22 March 2005. The speakers will include Screen International's Patrick Frater and Cinefinance's Fred Milstein.
