SHANGHAI SHOWCASE FOR HONG KONG FILMS GETS A GLITTERING SEND-OFF

Some of Hong Kong’s leading actors, actresses and film producers gathered in Shanghai on Sunday (10 June) to launch the Hong Kong Film Festival, which is being staged in conjunction with this week’s 5th Shanghai International Film Festival.

Co-organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and the Shanghai International Film Festival Organising Committee, the Hong Kong Film Festival features a selection of local movies showcasing the lifestyle and attractions of Hong Kong.

Among the Hong Kong stars to show their support by joining the opening ceremony were Louis Koo, Cecilia Ip, Michael Wong, Kristy Yeung, Stephen Fung and Maggie Q.

The HKTB’s Executive Director, Ms Clara Chong, explained that the main aim of the Hong Kong Film Festival was to help Shanghai people, as well as visitors from other parts of the Mainland, learn more about the attractiveness and lifestyle of Hong Kong – the “Hollywood of the East”. “We also hope it will help develop exchanges between the film industries of Hong Kong and Shanghai,” she added.

Running until 16 June, the Hong Kong Film Festival features seven SAR-made movies: Double Tap, Needing You, Miles Apart, Forever and Ever, For Bad Boys Only, A Fighter’s Blues and Gen-Y Cops.

To coincide with the Film Festival, an exhibition on Hong Kong is also under way at the Shui On Plaza in Shanghai, organised by the HKTB in association with the Office of the Hong Kong SAR Government in Beijing. As well as showcasing the featured Hong Kong movies and Hong Kong’s latest tourism developments, the exhibition includes a special display on City of Life: Hong Kong is it!, the new two-year, community-wide tourism campaign recently launched by the HKTB.

“We believe that the City of Life: Hong Kong is it! campaign will create more opportunities for the travel trade in Hong Kong and the Mainland to promote Hong Kong tours,” Ms Chong said. “This will help us attract even more Mainland visitors and encourage them to stay longer and spend more in Hong Kong. We sincerely hope that we can build a stronger relationship with the travel trade in Shanghai and work together to develop more joint tourism projects.”



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The Hong Kong Tourism Board was formerly known as the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA). The change took effect from 1 April 2001 and reflects a change to the tourism body’s constitutional structure. Its primary responsibilities for marketing and promoting Hong Kong as a destination worldwide, and for providing visitors with assistance when they arrive, remain unchanged.