TV And Film Co-productions with Dubai Fostering Global Partnerships
Dubai, 23rd July 2024 – Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), previously known as Create Hong Kong, the dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for promoting the development of creative industries, prepares for a ground-breaking fashion extravaganza with the inaugural Hong Kong Fashion Design Week (HKFDW), a flagship initiative to showcase Hong Kong’s thriving fashion and clothing industry. Set to take place annually from 2024 onwards, the HKFDW curates a programme by consolidating various fashion design events held in Hong Kong in different times of the year, infusing them with innovative elements and fostering exciting affiliate activities.
CCIDA also unveils the CreateSmart Initiative – Television Variety Programme, a new scheme to support Hong Kong’s television stations in co-producing television variety programmes with their counterparts in the Mainland or other Belt and Road countries. This unprecedented move aims to propel cross-cultural collaboration onto the global stage and unlock new opportunities for Hong Kong’s creative industries.
To expand the reach of the HKFDW, TV and Film Co-productions, CCIDA embarked on a targeted Belt and Road tour, with the inaugural visit being led by Mr Victor Tsang, JP, Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries, to Bangkok, Thailand in April 2024. Mr Kevin Yeung Yun-Hung, GBS, JP, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, HKSAR, himself, led a dedicated team in the visit that followed to Hanoi, Vietnam in June 2024, which was joined by Mr Owin Fung, JP, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore and Mr Gary Mak, Assistant Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries. Mrs Lowell Cho, Assistant Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries also led a visit in the series to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in early July 2024. Following the success, Mr Victor Tsang, JP, Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries led the tour again and visited Dubai in late July 2024 for high-level meetings with journalists and representatives from Dubai’s film and fashion industries to introduce the details of the programme.
Taking Hong Kong Fashion Design to New Heights
HKFDW, this flagship initiative was first announced in the HKSAR Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address laying out an ambitious plan to strengthen the influence of the city’s fashion design force on the global arena and the Asia World City’s position as “a prime destination for major cultural and creative events”. To achieve this goal, as mentioned in its 2024-2025 Budget, the HKSAR Government envisions “an Asian fashion design mega event introducing Hong Kong’s fashion design brands internationally”.
Spearheaded by CCIDA and in collaboration with the leaders and trendsetters from Hong Kong’s fashion design and clothing industry, the HKFDW aims to foster a vibrant ecosystem for creativity, business development, and cultural exchange. This mega-event builds upon CCIDA’s successful track record of funding various prestigious fashion events, including CENTRESTAGE, one of Asia’s largest fashion showcases and promotional events, the Fashion Summit (Hong Kong), a key driver of sustainable fashion in the region, and Fashion Asia Hong Kong, a programme that unites designers, leaders and professionals from the global fashion industry to inspire collaboration, creativity and dialogue.
Uniting established and emerging designers, international buyers, and fashion enthusiasts, the HKFDW promises a dynamic programme filled with runway shows, industry talks, and networking opportunities. The HKFDW serves as a platform for creative expression, allowing local designers to showcase their unique perspectives and cultural narratives on the world stage.
A Platform for East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange and Global Recognition
The HKFDW transcends the realm of fashion; it aspires to be a vibrant platform that fosters collaboration, innovation, and business opportunities that extend far beyond the fashion industry. By connecting local talent with international players, the HKFDW paves a way for Hong Kong to solidify its position not only as a global fashion hub, but also as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Leveraging Hong Kong’s unique position as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange and a key player in the Belt and Road Initiative, the HKFDW will strategically target new markets in the Mainland of China, Belt and Road (B&R) countries, the Middle East, Europe, and beyond. This strategic expansion aims to not only elevate the status of the HKFDW, but also to solidify Hong Kong’s standing as a truly international fashion centre. Ultimately, the HKFDW seeks to build strong partnerships with the fashion industry in China and B&R countries, promoting the event on a global scale.
The HKFDW promises to be a landmark event, ushering in a new era for the city’s fashion scene. It embodies the HKSAR Government’s commitment to nurturing the city’s creative industries and establishing Hong Kong as a global hub for fashion, culture, and tourism. CCIDA looks forward to welcoming industry leaders, fashion enthusiasts, and the general public to experience the magic of the HKFDW.
Eye on Hong Kong’s Pop Culture on Global Stage
Established by the HKSAR Government in 2009 and administered by CCIDA, the CreateSmart Initiative (CSI) provides financial support to promote the development of creative industries, sharpening Hong Kong’s unique position as Asia’s Creative Capital.
The HKSAR Government recognises the immense potential of Hong Kong’s pop culture. Through the enhancement of the CSI in 2023, CCIDA supports the co-production of television variety programmes by local television stations and the Mainland/Asian production teams, offering a three-pronged approach:
- Promoting Pop Culture: By collaborating with established broadcasters across Asia, the programme seeks to showcase new entertainment contents to a wider audience, fostering a deeper appreciation for Asia’s creative energy.
- Expanding Market Opportunities with partners: Co-productions will open up access to new markets, leading to increased commercial opportunities and potential for merchandising and other ventures.
- Nurturing Future Talent: Collaboration with regional partners will provide valuable learning and exchange experiences for creative professionals to be more culturally sensitive to audiences.
Comprehensive Support for Co-Production
With the ambition to build a “filmtastic” Hong Kong, the Film Services Office (FSO) offers a wealth of resources to navigate film production logistics and regulations in location shooting. The FSO provides a comprehensive directory of locations and cross-disciplinary services, and assistance in application of various permits and location forms relating to film and television production. Such empowering support is attributed to the immense success of recent local productions in the likes of A Guilty Conscience and Times Still Turns the Pages. The Special Effects Licensing Unit is also in place to ensure adherence to safety standards for special effects implementation in Hong Kong.
Funding Opportunities
To foster cultural exchange and increase visibility for these collaborations in both Asian and international film markets, CCIDA offers a springboard for co-productions through two funding schemes to provide substantial financial backing for Hong Kong’s filmmakers seeking to embark on co-production ventures.
Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme, which was expanded from the original Hong Kong-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme, was introduced under the Film Development Fund in 2023 to subsidise film co-productions involving Hong Kong’s filmmakers and their counterparts from other Asian or European countries, optimising exposures of such collaborations in Asian, European and international market, as well as achieving in-depth exchanges and mutual learning. The Scheme aims to enhance international exposure and cultural exchange through collaborations projects of feature-length narrative films and feature-length animation projects.
The Scheme will choose up to 8 film projects in total. Each approved project can receive up to HK$9 million (approximately 4.23 million AED) that covers its entire production. 4234522.11
About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency
The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) established in June 2024, formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK), is a dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative industries with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and cross-genre collaboration, promoting the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries under the industry-oriented principle, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community to implement Hong Kong’s positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan.
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