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Commerce and Industry
training needs; and promotion of film literacy in Hong Kong. The council is chaired by a non- official member and consists mainly of members of the film industry, with CreateHK providing secretarial support.
Encouraging Local Film Production
The Film Development Fund supports low and mid-budget productions for commercial release and projects conducive to the local industry's sustainable and long-term development. In 2017, seven productions for commercial release and 21 other projects beneficial to industry development received a total of $61.63 million.
Nurturing Film Talent
The First Feature Film Initiative identifies new filmmakers through a competition on screenplay and production proposals, and fully subsidises them to make their first feature-length commercial films. Mad World, a winning project in the first edition of the initiative, was released commercially in 2017 and had won 19 local and overseas awards by the year end.
During the year, CreateHK worked with the industry to launch a local programme to provide practical training for front-line film talent, and an overseas scheme to support outstanding post- production talent to undertake further studies and internships.
Film Market Development
CreateHK funds the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to promote the annual iconic event, Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, a key part of which is the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (Filmart), which attracted 815 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions and over 8,000 visitors in 2017.
On the Mainland, CreateHK promotes Hong Kong films by subsidising the distribution and publicity of Hong Kong-produced Cantonese movies. It organised promotional tours to Iran and Malaysia in 2017 to promote Hong Kong's production and post-production services.
Support for Non-Film Creative Sectors
CreateSmart Initiative
The CreateSmart Initiative (CSI) supports the promotional and educational projects of the seven non-film creative sectors. It provided $137.8 million to 51 such projects in 2017, including seven projects to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR. In the 2017 Policy Address, the government proposed injecting $1 billion into the initiative to strengthen support for the development of the creative industries.
Nurturing Talent and Facilitating Start-ups
Through the CSI, CreateHK supports the manpower development of creative industries and the nurture of start-ups. Activities in 2017 included the following:
• The Design Incubation Programme admitted 30 incubatees, while the Fashion Incubation Programme, launched in 2016, admitted five incubatees.
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