ENG-2014 — Page 340

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The Media, Communications and Information Technology

In 2014, the New York ETO promoted the strengths and opportunities of Hong Kong in particular in the fields of business, finance, and arts and culture. The office assisted in arranging the visits of the Financial Secretary and the Secretary for the Environment to New York.

Riding on robust trade ties, the office organised the 'Hong Kong Celebrates Massachusetts' Festival in June to promote the city's growing business and cultural ties with Massachusetts. The programme included the 'Enchanting Hong Kong New Cinema' Film Festival at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, a 'Hong Kong Day' reception at Massachusetts State House, and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival featuring the Hong Kong Ballet.

To promote Hong Kong's creative industries, the office organised seven signature Hong Kong film series in major film festivals in New York, Boston and Atlanta. The many Hong Kong film talents attending included actress Sandra Ng; director-screenwriters Alan Mak and Felix Chong; and directors Andrew Lau, Andrew Loo, the late Patrick Lung Kong, and Tsui Hark.

The office sponsored the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festivals in New York, Atlanta and Boston and also jointly organised an arts fellowship programme with the Yale-China Association, allowing two outstanding Hong Kong artists to embark on a residency programme at Yale University in 2015.

The San Francisco ETO organised various events for the visiting Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, in San Francisco; for the Secretary for the Environment in Seattle; and for the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development in Los Angeles.

Staff of the San Francisco ETO visited 20 cities across eight western states during the year to promote Hong Kong. The office staged the Journey to Hong Kong' exhibition at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in July, where a nonstop flight to Hong Kong was launched the month before. The San Francisco ETO also organised or supported a number of arts and cultural events, including promoting Hong Kong films in Dallas, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle. The office also sponsored the recitals of the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra in Seattle and Portland in July, and hosted a reception in honour of Mr Danny Yung of theatre group Zuni Icosahedron in San Francisco in August.

In 2014, the Toronto ETO presented various promotion programmes across Canada under the brand name of 'Hong Kong under Spotlight, including the first-ever Hong Kong-Canada Business Achievement Award to showcase the success stories of Canadian enterprises in Hong Kong; a special film gala to highlight Hong Kong's 'can do' spirit and core values; investment pitch competitions for undergraduates; and the launch of an academic research project 'Hong Kong-Canada Crosscurrents!

The Toronto ETO organised a series of business seminars and events in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and Saskatchewan to promote Hong Kong's business potential. In April, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury led a delegation to Ottawa and Toronto and met government officials and members of financial institutions and the academic sector.

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