‘HONG KONG TO HOLLYWOOD’ CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED AT LOCATIONS 2001 GLOBAL EXPO

Marian Smith, a screenwriter from Burbank, California, soon will be spending seven days in Hong Kong meeting top studio and movie executives and touring studio facilities. She won the “Hong Kong to Hollywood” screenplay writing contest, sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) and a number of major hotel and film companies that conduct business in Hong Kong.

Ms Smith received her prize at a special award ceremony at the Hong Kong booth at the Locations Global Expo on Sunday (26 February), at the Los Angeles Convention Center by martial arts actor, Jean-Claude Van Damme. To see her presented with her prize were HKTA Regional Director Lily Shum and officials of the other contest sponsors — the Hong Kong Film Services Office (FSO) of the Television & Entertainment Licensing Authority (TELA); Salon Films (HK) Ltd, Cathay Pacific Airways, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, and Regal Hotels International.

“Marian’s treatment was extremely original, yet it captured the essence of Hong Kong,” commented Ms Shum. “It combines wonderful elements of romance, mystery and intrigue with interesting and thoughtful characters with whom a reader can relate. If it were to be filmed in some of our more mystical settings here in Hong Kong, it would make for a fascinating film.”

Ms Smith’s original screen treatment, entitled The Painter, is set in Hong Kong and based on Asian folklore. Contestants were required to submit a treatment that captured the spirit of Hong Kong in three pages or less, which drew attention to the sights and sounds of Hong Kong and to show how the city inspires professionals around the world. Highlights of the treatment could be Hong Kong’s romance, history, arts and culture, heritage, traditions or Hong Kong’s warm and welcoming people. Other criteria were originality, creativity and clarity of thought.

"I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Ms Smith. “While I’ve never been to Hong Kong, I’ve always been fascinated by Asian culture. Being able to experience it first-hand while, at the same time, having the opportunity to meet and speak with film producers, directors, writers and production crews who live and work in Hong Kong, is like a dream come true.”

“Several of my friends have been to Hong Kong, and they have all been enchanted by its beauty, diversity and charm,” she added. “It has an air of excitement about it that seems to be unmatched anywhere. My friends in the film business were especially captivated by the variety of locales for shooting and the pool of talent to draw from, including men, women and children of all nationalities.”

Judging the treatments were seasoned industry professionals Paul Heller, former Warner Bros executive and independent producer of the 1990s Oscar-winning My Left Foot; Larry Cano, filmmaker and executive producer of Silkwood, and writer Gail Gilchriest whose feature film work includes the screenplay adaptation for My Dog Skip and several teleplays.

Jean-Claude Van Damme was enlisted for the award presentation because of his worldwide popularity with martial arts and action film fans, and because of the many feature films he has shot in Hong Kong. These include Knock Off (1998); Street Fighter (1995); Double Impact (1991) and Kickboxer (1991). One of his very first features, Bloodsport (1988), also was filmed in Hong Kong.

From The World of Suzie Wong of the 1950s to Jackie Chan action dramas of the 1990s and this year’s Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hong Kong has become the world’s third largest film production centre. Everything is here for a successful film: directors, writers, producers, efficient crews and production services, including state-of-the-art digital effects.

International films shot in recent years in Hong Kong include Rush Hour (1998, New Line Cinema) and Rush Hour 2 (2001, New Line Cinema); Chinese Box (1997, Joint Team Ltd); Mortal Kombat (1997, New Line Cinema); Tai Pan (1996, Taipan Productions); and Year of the Dragon, (1984, DEG Entertainment).