Asian films were the hot flavor in Italy during September as the Venice Film Festival featured a fashionable line-up of Chinese films and Asian cinema.

Taiwan-born director Ang Lee took home the Festival's most prestigious award, the Golden Lion for his film Brokeback Mountain. Other Awards presented to Asian filmmakers included the Arts Communications Award, presented to Hong Kong's Stanley Kwan Kam-pang for Everlasting Regret and the Silver Lion Award, taken home by Lin Chien-ping for his short film, Small Station.

Hong Kong' s presence at the Venice Film Festival continued to make waves as the Festival closed with the musical, Perhaps Love by Hong Kong director, Mr. Peter Chan Ho-sun. Mr. Chan, who led the film's pan-Asian cast - Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhou Xun, Ji Jinhee and Sandra Ng Kwan-yu - told reporters of the South China Morning Post that he hopes his film will be able to open up possibilities for filmmaking in mainland China and Asia.

Hong Kong as Asia's Film Capital

March 2006 will mark the return of two key film-related events in Hong Kong, signifying Hong Kong as Asia's film capital. The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), Asia's pivotal film financing forum, will take place in Hong Kong (20-22 March 2006), alongside FILMART (20-23 March 2005), Asia's most internationally recognized film, television and multi-media business platform. 

Attracting a critical mass of film professionals, entertainment heavyweights and international film bodies, HAF stands as an ever-growing platform for the business of film financing and co-production ventures in Asia. HAF is currently welcoming Asian filmmakers to submit their project ideas for possible selection in the 2006 edition of HAF.  Both HAF and FILMART are proud to be part of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong (www.eexpohk.com), an exciting event featuring the very best of film, digital entertainment, music and multi-media.

(hkfilmart September 27, 2005)