ENG-1977 — Page 232

THE MEDIA

London Office

171

The Information Section of the Hong Kong Government Office in London works in collaboration with the Government Information Services. The section keeps the British media informed of all newsworthy developments in Hong Kong that come within the sphere of the government. It does this through a private national teleprinter network direct to newspapers, magazines and radio editors; through in-depth news releases sent by mail; and through personal contact with journalists. The London Office depends heavily on news and other information supplied by GIS. Inquiries from the media are answered by the London Office information staff, although queries are occasionally referred to Hong Kong by the direct telex link with GIS.

In 1977, the Information Section of the London Office was responsible for planning the United Kingdom tour of the Hong Kong Silver Jubilee Company, which was designed to associate Hong Kong with the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations. The company consisted of the Hong Kong Schools Chinese Dance Team, a choir known as the Hong Kong Silver Jubilee Singers, and the Hong Kong Chinese Music Orchestra.

Film Industry

Hong Kong continued to be among the world's major film-producing countries in terms of the number of films produced annually. A considerable number of films in Mandarin intended for use locally and in other parts of Asia were made in 1977 but, because of shrinking markets, there were fewer of these than in previous years.

However, the number of films produced locally with international actors and in- tended for markets in the West increased. This aspect of the local film industry is expected to expand if Hong Kong can continue to provide finance and its efficient and relatively inexpensive film production facilities.

Among the Chinese-language films, a notable feature was the resurgence of interest in the production of Kung Fu films after a two-year fall-off.

As in previous years, the number of cinemas again declined. At the end of 1977, 75 cinemas were operating, compared with 83 the previous year. Cinema attendances, however, continued to be high and totalled 60 million. The three top-grossing films of 1977 were The Private Eyes, The Spy Who Loved Me and The Pilferer's Progress, with box office receipts of $8.5 million, $5.3 million and $5.1 million respectively.

All films intended for public exhibition in Hong Kong must be submitted to a panel of film censors. Censorship standards are drawn from ascertained community views. During the year, 92 members of the public joined a public advisory group to help the Film Censorship Authority reflect community views on the levels of acceptability in film entertainment.