PRESS, BROADCASTING AND CINEMA
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colour and the company now operates its own highly-automated colour laboratories. Cantonese films, which are produced almost exclusively for the Hong Kong domestic market, are usually in black-and-white but some of the more ambitious productions have ventured into colour. Costs rose throughout the industry during 1969. An average Mandarin film now costs approximately $900,000 and a Cantonese black-and-white production about $400,000.
On the latest count there were 41 directors, 40 script-writers, 102 contracted and 26 independent stars, a 1,300 man technical force of carpenters, plasterers, brick-layers, painters, electricians, camera- men, sound-recordists and projectionists employed full-time in local film production. A further 800 employees are involved in full-time subsidiary activities with exploitation of locally-made pictures in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong films are popular throughout Asia and have recently been increasingly well received overseas both in film festivals and at the box office.
There are 104 cinemas in the Colony, with total seating capacity of 122,287. Attendance figures are among the highest in the world per head of population.
Costs for location shooting in Hong Kong, where some unparal- leled scenery is to be found, are still considerably lower than in other leading international centres such as Spain, Italy and Mexico. Labour costs are extremely economical, yet international standards in services are consistently provided. These advantages, combined with Hong Kong's unique story possibilities, drew a number of American and European producers to the Colony during the year and several others have announced firm plans to film part or all of coming productions in Hong Kong.
Films for public exhibition within Hong Kong are subject to censorship in accordance with the law and must be viewed by the film censors panel. A total of 5,376 films were submitted for censor- ship during the year, including 160 local productions.
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