HONG KONG -- Filmart "has an advantage of being a platform right before Cannes," says Raymond Phathanavirangoon, director for marketing and special projects. Organized by Hong Kong's Trade Development Council, Filmart will take place March 20-23.
Filmart will be a bigger show this year with around 450 exhibitors, a 10% boost from last year.
While it's hard to compare it to the major markets, "We are happy to have an important market right here in our own backyard," Phathanavirangoon says.
Fortissimo plans to continue pushing its Berlin Asian titles at Filmart, he adds.
Those titles include Zhang Yang's "Getting Home," which won the Ecumenical Prize at Berlin, Tony Ayres' "The Home Song Stories," Leesong Hee-il's "No Regret," the documentaries "Nanking" and "Buddha's Lost Children," Shunji Iwai-produced "Rainbow Song" and Jacob Cheung's "A Battle of Wits."
Sundream, which is breaking out into distribution this year, will have a new face at its booth. Otto Leong, vice president for distribution for both Sundream and fellow i-Cable subsidiary Cable TV, will be attending the market for the first time on behalf of the company.
Sundream's focus will be "Eye in the Sky," helmed by Yau Nai-hoi and produced by Johnnie To. Pic preemed in Berlin's Forum and will have its Asian premiere at the Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival.
Peter Chan Ho-sun's "The Warlords" will get a lot of play from investor Media Asia at Filmart, says Jeffrey Chan, head of distribution and sales. Media Asia might have a couple of smaller films to announce as well, he adds.
Emperor plans to focus on "The Sun Also Rises," helmed by China's Jiang Wen, says Ricky Tse, general manager of distribution. The pic is now in post-production in France.
Emperor also plans to announce one or two pics at the confab but is still working with its production department on the schedule, Tse says.
Mandarin's big sales push will be for "Flash Point" (formerly known as "City With No Mercy.")
The company is closing some deals for Asia now, says Virginia Leung, senior manager for distribution, adding that the film, which is helmed by Wilson Yip and produced by Nansun Shi, Yu Dong and Donnie Yen, will wrap the first couple of weeks of March.
Universe Films will continue its push of actioner "Invisible Target," launched at Berlin. Pic is helmed by Benny Chan and stars Nicholas Tse, Jaycee Chan and Shawn Yu. It's also got To's "Tactical Unit," a quintet of pics that is an extension of his cop drama "PTU."
The quintet is "a pioneering project," says Alice Leung, distrib manager for Universe.
For "Invisible Target," Leung says she will be pushing for Japan and South Korea while at Filmart.
Conglom also will champion individual projects by the Pang brothers: suspenser "The Photos" by Oxide Pang and horror romance "Darling Lover" by Danny Pang. Pics will start filming at the end of March.
Universe would like to arrange Chinese co-productions but isn't sure it's possible considering the horror genre, Leung says.
First assistant director under the Pang brothers, Cub Chien, also will have a horror pic at Filmart. "Scare 2 Die" finished shooting with a $2 million budget and is expected to hit screens this summer, Leung says.
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