Hong Kong Launches Fund for European Film Coproductions (EXCLUSIVE)

Patrick Frater
·2 min read

Hong Kong will offer more than $1 million per project to film coproductions with Europe under a new grant scheme to be launched this week at the European Film Market in Berlin.

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The territory’s government is also sponsoring a visit to Berlin by a select group of producers and directors.

The Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme is an extension of the Hong Kong-Asian program that was launched in January last year. Both parts are intended to offer additional support against the challenging current developments in the film industry.

The new scheme invites filmmakers from Hong Kong, European and/or Asian countries to develop common ideas, foster new talent-partnerships and apply for a single round of support in 2024. The scheme is operated by the Hong Kong Film Development Council and promoted by CreateHK.

Each successful film project will receive a grant of up to HK$9 million ($1.1 million), depending on the size of the film’s production budget. Projects with budgets below that ceiling could be fully-funded by the grant, while those costing more would be expected to source the balance from other public or private sources.

“Riding on the success of the first phase, we are so glad that we are further extending our collaboration footprint into Europe and announce the launch of “Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme” at the Berlinale,” said Dr. Wilfred Wong, chairman of the Hong Kong Film Development Council. “This scheme aims to provide funding for film projects co-produced with filmmakers from European and Asian countries, enhancing their exposure in international markets and fostering in-depth exchanges and mutual learning.”

The FDC received application for grants under last year’s Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme and is expected to announce the successful recipients within a few weeks.

The delegation in Berlin includes: producers Debbie Lam, Jacqueline Liu and Saville Chan; and writer-directors Sasha Chuk and Chan Tai Lee.

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