SCED observes film shooting of "Opus 1" (with photos)

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, today (November 1) observed the shooting of the film "Opus 1", and encouraged the director and the production team to unleash their talents and push forward in pursuit of their dreams in the movie industry.

"Opus 1", which seeks to explore human nature through depicting a real-life murder case, was the winning project of Create Hong Kong's First Feature Film Initiative (FFFI) in the Professionals Group.

Mr So learned from the director, Mr Cheung King-wai, about how the film project has benefited from the FFFI, and was told of the difficulties and challenges encountered during the planning and filming process. Members of the film's cast, which includes young actors who are participating in the filming of a feature film for the first time, shared with Mr So their acting experiences.

"The FFFI seeks to identify and nurture talent for the local film industry in a new way through a competition focusing on screenplays and production proposals. It gives young talents who wish to join the film industry a chance to make their first feature films on a commercial basis and show their flair, and promotes the long-term development of the industry itself," Mr So said.

"I am pleased to see the enthusiasm of the director, the production team and the actors, and am looking forward to watching this local production on the big screen with other audience members," he said.

The FFFI is one of the Government's measures in support of the film industry. Among the 22 production teams that participated in the competition, one winner was chosen in the Professionals Group and two were selected in the Higher Education Institutions Group at the end of 2013. The Film Development Fund is providing funding to cover the full production costs of the winning teams' films, subject to a cap of $2 million per film for the winning teams in the Higher Education Institutions Group and a cap of $5 million for the winning team in the Professionals Group.

The other two films receiving funding support under the FFFI are "Weeds on Fire" and "Mad World" in the Higher Education Institutions Group.

Saturday, November 1, 2014