HONG KONG SHORT FILM: NEW ACTION EXPRESS (NAE) is a scheme launched by the Hong Kong Arts Centre and sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with the aim to promote excellent Hong Kong short films and animation locally and abroad. Since 2011, NAE has successfully sponsored a number of local creative talents to attend international film festivals and first-class cultural events, for them to broaden international horizons through creative exchange and networking.
This year, NAE will for the first time participate in the biggest short film festival in Europe – the 2015 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market. By setting up booth at the Market and organising market screenings for awarded Hong Kong short films, the NAE organiser aims to facilitate the local short film sector in proactively participating in international film markets, with a view to building connections with distributors, broadcasters, festival organisers and sales agents from around the world, exploring new markets for Hong Kong short films, and bringing commercial benefits to local short film and animation filmmakers in the long run.
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market will take place for five days between 2 and 6 February 2015 at Gymnase Jean et Honoré Fleury (opposite Maison de la Culture), Clermont-Ferrand, France. Setting up a booth at the Market and organising two market screenings on 3 February and 5 February to showcase 15 awarded Hong Kong short films to overseas audiences, NAE will proactively introduce and promote outstanding local short films and animations, and at the same time, coordinate commercial meet up between the participating Hong Kong filmmakers and overseas film practitioners and press in search of overseas collaboration and development opportunities.
Under the sponsorship of NAE, 10 filmmakers will attend the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market. These filmmakers include Wong Yee-lam, awarded Best Script, Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival (Open Division); Chan Wai-man, awarded 4th Prize, TBS Digicon6 Awards (Hong Kong Region); Cheng Oi-yu, awarded Special Mention, Hong Kong Documentary Award, Chinese Documentary Festival; Chu Hoi-ying, awarded Outstanding Documentary Award, Global Chinese Universities Student Film and Television Festival Awards; Chan Tsz-shun, awarded Best Film (Fiction) Gold / Best Original Music Silver / Best Screenplay Gold, Hong Kong InterSchool Film Awards; Pak Tsz-kiu, awarded Bronze Award, Best Digital Entertainment (Animation), Hong Kong ICT Awards; Lui Wing-tung, awarded Best Micro-film Drama Bronze, Hong Kong Mobile Film Festival; Ng Kai-chung, awarded Gold Award, ifva Awards (Animation Category); Fuk Pak-to Jim, recommended director of the Jumping Frames International Dance Video Festival; as well as Nicola Fan, recommended director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Short Film Competition. During the trip, the directors will introduce their works to overseas audiences, attend screenings at the Festival, and attend meetings with other festival curators, filmmakers and press.
Wong Yee-lam, one of the directors sponsored by NAE to participate in the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market, said, “Under NAE’s support, I had the opportunity to present my work to film festivals in France and Italy. Aside from the invaluable experience to mingle with overseas audiences and appreciate the creative works from other places, I also had the golden opportunity to meet with Europe distributor in France, who eventually helped release my first DVD last year. I look forward to meeting filmmakers and distribution companies from around the world in this coming trip for more distribution and collaboration opportunities.” Another sponsored animation director, Ng Kai-chung, expressed that, “It will be a fantastic experience to be able to go abroad to meet great animators and directors from around the world. I will take this opportunity to explore possibilities to work with overseas animation companies and promote local productions to the international market. I believe our participation this time could solidly help facilitate the cultural exchange and collaborations between Hong Kong short film and animation sectors and their overseas counterparts, as well as lay the groundwork for our future expansion in overseas markets. We could also use film as a platform to understand the history and culture of different places, while at the same time serve the purpose of to expanding our network, fostering exchange with fellow filmmakers, as well as stimulating creativity.”
Aside from the two NAE market screenings during the Festival period, four shortlisted Hong Kong short films will also be shown in the “China Programmes” at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market. These four short films include: shortlisted for Festival Paris Cinema and nominated Best Short Film of Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival – Wong Chun’s 6th March (2012); recommended title by the Beijing College Student Film Festival, a story about the struggles at the Yau Ma Tei fruit market – Lam See-chit’s Twenty Dollars (2011); awarded Special Statuette and Diploma Award at the World Student Film Festival, Poland – Chow Kwun-wai’s Upstairs (2006); as well as awarded Best Drama Award of the South Taiwan Film Festival, an accusation of the deformed educational system in Hong Kong – Tsim Ho-tat’s True Story of Ah Poon (2010).
Upon their return from the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market, 8 selected titles will be screened for the first time at the 20th ifva Festival on 15 March 2015 (Sunday). Directors of these 8 selected titles will also share their valuable experience of participation in the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market with Hong Kong audience after the screening.
For more details about NAE’s participation in the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival and Market, please visit www.naehk.com
© Liana Technologies