Creative Mobile Film Productions Recognized at Award Presentation Ceremony

At a star-studded award presentation ceremony jointly organized by Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA) and Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) today (26 March 2009), the creativity of local mobile film producers was applauded. As a finale of "The 2nd Hong Kong Mobile Film Festival", funded by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority, the Hong Kong Mobile Film Production Contest attracted over 150 entries.

Mrs Rita Lau, JP, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development; Ms Maisie Cheng, Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing; actress-singer Ms Fiona Sit; movie directors Mr Patrick Kong and Mr Dante Lam; and Mr Simon Goodrich, co-founder and Managing Director, Portable Film Festival (Australia), were among the guests-of-honour attending the ceremony held at the FILMART.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr John Chiu, Chairman of WTIA, said: "To promote the development of creative industries, the Hong Kong Government will shortly set up a dedicated office, 'CreateHK', to coordinate the work of different departments in order to provide more effective support for the industries. With the launch of mobile TV and the 4th generation mobile communications in the near future, mobile films will become the next hottest topic for industry players to combine technology with creativity."

Over 150 entries were received for this year's Contest, 50 per cent more than last year. The 16 finalists were selected two months ago and underwent public voting and final assessment by an expert judging panel based on the works' originality, overall presentation, efficient use of the screen and broadcast quality on the mobile phone.

Mr Yung Kai-tai, General Manager (IT Industry Development) of HKPC, said: "The judging panel is impressed with this year's entries which are of higher quality and standard. They reflect growing maturity in terms of content, filming techniques and storyline creativity. Themes and genres vary from friendship, love, to current affairs, from documentary, horror, music video to animation."

Launched in October 2008, the Festival also featured an array of activities including an international mobile film tour, a technical workshop and road shows to enhance public understanding of mobile film and promote the development of related industries.

Video clip of the award presentation ceremony will be available on 6 April 2009 at the web link: http://www.vcast.tv/hkwtia/hkmff2009. For more information about the Festival, please visit the official website: www.mobilefilm.hk.

26 March 2009