THE MEDIA
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Hong Kong. During the year, the section played an important role in the staging of the Hong Kong in London Festival in September. A major overseas promotion effort, the festival was organised by the London Office in association with the Greater London Council. It was generously assisted by community groups and private sponsors in Hong Kong, and by the Hong Kong Chinese community in the UK.
Information Branch
The work of the GIS, RTHK and much of the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority is co-ordinated by the Information Branch of the Government Secretariat, headed by the Secretary for Information. The branch is inter alia responsible for advising the government on the presentation of its policies and on its public relations. Its establish- ment as a separate entity in 1979 reflects the high level of importance the government attaches to keeping members of the community well-informed about matters affecting their lives.
Film Industry
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By the end of 1980 the number of cinemas in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories stood at 83. However, with rising property values it is expected that this figure will prob- ably decline during the coming year. The annual cinema attendance totalling 65 million did not differ much from that of the previous year. Related to the population, the high attendance figures demonstrate that cinema-going remains a very popular leisure activity despite an increase in admission prices during the year by an average of 15 per cent (12.5 per cent to 25 per cent).
The number of locally-produced films was 142 in comparison with 137 for 1979. The number of imported films, however, declined slightly from 470 to 459. While imported films continue to be popular many Western box-office successes are summarily dismissed by cinema-goers when released in Hong Kong. There were exceptions, however, such as The Empire Strikes Back and Faces of Death - both of which did extremely well at the box office. On the other hand, a relatively low-budget, locally produced film which happens to strike the right note, can also make enormous profits for its producers. Examples were The Young Master which in 27 days grossed over $11 million, and a documentary The Rising Sun on the history of China through World War II, which grossed $9.4 million.
There were no significant developments in the local film production industry, except that the trend to produce films in Cantonese rather than in Mandarin (a trend that started in the early 70s) continued. Themewise, there were few social dramas - the accent being on 'action' films and comedies.
All films intended for exhibition in Hong Kong must be submitted to the Film Censor- ship Authority. Censorship standards are drawn from ascertained community views and a panel comprising around 80 members of the public assists the Panel of Film Censors in reflecting the community views on levels of acceptability in filmed entertainment. During the year 746 films were submitted for censorship (including films intended for cine-clubs). Of the total number submitted, 328 were approved without excisions; 263 were approved after excisions and 10 were totally banned.
Printing and Publishing
The international status of Hong Kong's printing industry has grown steadily in recent years, and there are now over 2,000 printing companies in the territory employing around 22,000 people.