Hong Kong’s FILMART 2023 Showcases a New Era of Homegrown Blockbusters

After three consecutive years of hosting its programming virtually, the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) is making its physical return at its home venue, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.

According to organizer Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the four-day event, taking place from March 13-16, is expected to welcome over 600 exhibitors from 25 countries and regions. This includes over 20 pavilions representing the likes of mainland China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Italy, the United States and Europe. Not only is FILMART 2023 the year’s first in-person film market taking place in Asia, but it is also the region’s largest entertainment content marketplace. 

FILMART 2023 arrives on the heels of a banner year for its host. Despite a challenging period that saw Hong Kong theaters shut down for months due to pandemic safety measures, the region released multiple homegrown blockbusters in 2022 that helped convince audiences to return to in-person moviegoing. Encouraged by these box office successes, Hong Kong exhibitors say they are looking forward to meeting buyers face-to-face and that they expect business to be robust. 

“We are thrilled to feature a wide range of high-profile projects available for buyers this year,” says Peggie Liu, HKTDC’s associate director. “In addition to the return of face-to-face networking and exhibitions, we’re thankful for the opportunity to host screenings and industry seminars once again this year and are looking forward to finally seeing everyone in person.”

MakerVille, the production, distribution and talent management arm of local TV network ViuTV, will have its first physical exhibition at this year’s market. It will launch sales for Soi Cheang’s “Mad Fate,” which doubles as its debut film production. Co-produced with acclaimed auteur Johnnie To under his Milkyway Image banner and written by award-winning screenwriter Yau Nai-hoi, the thriller is about a fortune teller who risks his sanity to change the fate of a young man with an intense bloodthirst. Co-starring alongside award-winning actor Lam Ka-tung is Lokman Yeung, the leader of local boy band sensation Mirror, which is also managed by MakerVille. After its world premiere at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival as an out-of-competition title, “Mad Fate” is expected to screen at other film festivals around the world and be theatrically released in Hong Kong sometime this year.

Yeung’s fellow Mirror members Keung To and Jer Lau became bona fide box office stars last year with Emperor Motion Pictures’ “Mama’s Affair,” the fourth highest-grossing local film of 2022. Following the sleeper hit, Emperor will lead its FILMART slate with “The Goldfinger” (previously “Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong”), the latest thriller by multiple Hong Kong Film Award-winning writer-director Felix Chong, who co-wrote the “Infernal Affairs” trilogy. As the most expensive local production to date with a budget of HK$350 million (US$44.6 million), the fact-based drama follows an anti-corruption investigator who is entangled in a years-long investigation involving the shady behavior of a multibillion-dollar company. The film, which is currently in post-production, reunites Chong with his “Infernal Affairs” stars Andy Lau and Tony Leung.

Media Asia will showcase its big-budget actioner “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” the highly anticipated adaptation of a popular Hong Kong comic book series. Set in the infamous Kowloon Walled City in the 1980s, the film follows a skilled fighter who begins working for a local crime lord to maintain order. Together with his new friends, he must protect their turf against a powerful villain with sinister plans. With a star-studded cast that includes Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Raymond Lam and Richie Jen, the Soi Cheang film is currently in post-production.

Koo’s company One Cool Pictures had its biggest year yet in 2022 with the sci-fi actioner “Warriors of Future,” which held the record for the highest-grossing local film of all time until recently. Riding on this momentum, the company will kick off sales for “The Dream, the Bubble and the Shadow,” the latest film by blockbuster director Wilson Yip, best known for the “Ip Man” series. Produced by Yip’s longtime friend and collaborator Soi Cheang, the film stars Koo as a down-on-his-luck man who meets a young boy while hiding out on an island. According to One Cool, the film is the realization of Yip’s longtime dream to make a film about magic and marks a reunion with the team behind his 2017 hit “Paradox.” “The Dream, the Bubble and the Shadow” recently completed shooting and does not have a release date set.

Universe Films will launch sales for “The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell.” Much like its predecessor, the Herman Yau film is a sequel in name only. Aaron Kwok, a newcomer to the franchise, stars as a police agent who takes down a drug cartel with the help of an undercover cop played by Koo. While hiding away in the Golden Triangle, the cartel’s kingpin (played by Sean Lau, returning from the first “White Storm”) receives a tipoff about the betrayal within his circle of trust. Initially planned to be filmed on location in Thailand, pandemic safety measures forced the production to build enormous sets in Hong Kong and on the mainland for its ambitious action sequences. Yau also directed the franchise’s second installment, which co-starred Andy Lau and Louis Koo.

In addition to exhibitions and face-to-face meeting opportunities, FILMART will also hold screenings and thematic seminars. One of these seminars, “Dialogue With Hong Kong Directors: The Spring of Hong Kong Movies,” will be moderated by film critic Thomas Shin. Here, filmmakers behind recent box office hits, including Sunny Chan (“Table for Six”), Jack Ng (“A Guilty Conscience” and co-writer of “Anita”) and Judy Chu (“Sunshine of My Life”) will discuss the current state of the Hong Kong film industry, what it takes to make a local blockbuster and what the future holds for the local film industry. 

To register your badge for attending FILMART in person, and to view the full list of participating exhibitors, visit here.

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