Press Release - March 24, 2005

Canada’s film industry was encouraged to contribute its creativity to make Hong Kong the “Cannes of Asia” during a Hong Kong promotion, which was kicked off in Montreal today (Thursday).

The week-long promotion, organized by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (Canada) (HKETO), features a film premiere, a display entitled “Hong Kong - Your Fast Track to the China Market”, and a business lunch to introduce to business people in Montreal about the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), a free trade agreement signed between Hong Kong and China a year ago.

Officiating at the premiere of “Kung Fu Hustle” directed by renowned Hong Kong’s “King of Comedy” Stephen Chow, the HKETO Director Mr Bassanio So said with the liberation of the China’s film market under CEPA, Hong Kong requires the input of Canada’s film professionals, especially those from Montreal, to make Hong Kong the “Cannes of Asia”.

“The liberation of the China market means that demand for movies is only going to grow,” said Mr So. “In today’s globalized knowledge economy, the many cultural and creative industries are becoming increasingly important economic drivers.”

He encouraged Montreal’s film and entertainment industries to take part in Hong Kong’s Entertainment Expo, an annual industry event organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. He described the expo as a “celebration of the ingenuity and creativity of the people of Hong Kong, as well as a tribute to the talent of Asia’s entertainment industry”. Mr So added that it would also be “a tremendous platform for cultivating business and cultural exchanges”.

“The Hong Kong Government recognizes this fact, and we will continue to build a favorable environment for these industries to flourish,” Mr So said. Hong Kong is looking for more opportunities to work together with the talented people in Montreal’s creative industries, he added.

Citing Montreal-born actress Christy Chung, whose fame took off in Hong Kong, the HKETO Director told the Montreal film professionals that Hong Kong needs their creative input to make the city the Cannes of Asia. Hong Kong and Montreal has long-established ties in this creative industry, which included the staging of the Chinese Film Festival and the Fantasia Film Festival since the 90s.

Directed by Stephen Chow, “Kung Fu Hustle” won the Best Film award at the recent 10th Golden Bauhinia Awards, and was named one of the Top 10 Chinese language movies of the year. It also leads the way for the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards to be held on March 27 in Hong Kong, scooping 16 nominations including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor for Chow. “Kung Fu Hustle” tells the story of a want-to-be gangster who finally turns his kung fu talents to saving others.

The HKETO also invited Julien Fonfrede, the program director (Asian Section) for the Fantasia Film Festival and one of the producers of the documentary “Cinemas of the World: Hong Kong”, to do a presentation on Hong Kong films during the premiere at Cinema du parc, covering the latest trend of Hong Kong’s film productions and how it influenced international film industry.

At the business luncheon earlier in the day, the HKETO Director encouraged Montreal companies to leverage on Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages under the “One country, two systems” and its closer economic integration with China.

Mr So said that under the “One country, two systems”, Hong Kong enjoys unique advantages that give the city a competitive edge in helping foreign companies to tap in the China market. He urged those companies who are interested to explore the China market to partner with or go through Hong Kong to launch or expand their business activities in the vast China market.

The exhibition, “Hong Kong - Your Fast Track to the China Market”, is being held at the Grande-Place of Complexe Desjardins. It gives an overview on the advantages and opportunities that CEPA brings to foreign companies, including Canadian companies. Under CEPA and the subsequent CEPA II, Hong Kong is given additional and exclusive Mainland market access benefits – benefits which Canadians can capitalize on by partnering with Hong Kong. The exhibition is on display from today until March.


For more information, please contact:
Stephen Siu, Assistant Director (Public Relations)
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office
at: (416)924-5544 or email: [email protected]
or email Elison Chu, Senior Information Officer at [email protected]

Click here to download a Chinese version of this press release in PDF format.