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The Hong Kong film industry has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with suspended productions and closed movie theaters since the end of March.
But there is hope that things will improve, with the reopening of theaters yesterday and the announcement this week of a project to boost the industry.
On Thursday, Hong Kong actor Louis Koo, 49, and movie tycoon Albert Yeung, 77, announced that they will work together to produce 10 Hong Kong films in the next two years.
Koo, who founded the One Cool Group film company in 2013, and Yeung, owner of Emperor Motion Pictures, said the films would be shot primarily in Hong Kong and that they would primarily hire Hong Kong actors and crew members.
They hoped that the measure would provide concrete support to crew members who have become unemployed or forced to take other jobs to survive.
“We hope to find more good scripts and develop a new generation of movie workers with this collaboration,” One Cool Group said in the statement.
The announcement came after the Hong Kong Film Awards were held on Wednesday, the first time they were announced online in a live broadcast. The award presentation ceremony was canceled as a result of the Covid-19 situation.
In an interview with the Hong Kong media, Yeung said the move was first raised during a dinner last month with Koo, the current president of the Hong Kong Artists Guild. They noted that Hong Kong actors and directors were unable to work in mainland China due to the pandemic, while no films were planned in Hong Kong.
Both Yeung and Koo felt that a collaboration between the two companies would help produce an average of a Hong Kong film every two months.
They said in the announcement that movie production would begin in the second half of the year, covering genres ranging from horror and suspense to love and comedy. They added that both new and veteran actors would be hired.
The move was applauded by various Hong Kong actors, and Simon Yam believes the Hong Kong government will also provide support.
“I will help act, produce or direct if they bring me closer,” said Yam, who won the Best Actor award for Echoes of the rainbow at the 2010 Hong Kong Film Awards. “I’m even looking forward to doing behind-the-scenes work.” – The Straits Times / Asia News Network
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