Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) and National Geographic Channel (NGC) had announced earlier a strategic partnership to cultivate local documentary filmmaking through the Hong Kong to the World documentary production project.Through the “Hong Kongto the World Documentary Fund 2010”, local filmmakers are invited to work with RTHK and NGC team to produce four one-hour documentary films. After a round of intense competition, the selection board which comprises members from RTHK and NGC had selected four proposals as the final winners, each will receive around HK$700,000 for producing a one-hour documentary film.
The Hong Kong to the World documentary production project conducted an open invitation in March this year and had received a total of 50 proposals with diverse subject matters. After thorough review by both RTHK and NGC, the board selected 21 proposals to enter into an interview held at the end of August. On the day of interview, some interviewees brought along props, like the axes, organic fruits and vegetables to make an appealing pitch to the board. Some even invited biologists and oceanologists to give detailed presentation. In order to impress the selection board, the shortlisted production teams were trying every creative means to showcase their production’s unique characteristics.
The topics of the winning proposals are considered by the selection board to have diversely covered several areas to show Hong Kong’s spirit and the challenges the city is facing.In “Siu Mei Kung Fu”, the marriage of traditional Chinese food and martial art brings out a new perspective of Chinese culture. Medicine and health are the top concern of everyone. In “Cancer and the City”, the environmental and food hazards will don on us through the nightmare and struggle of a cancer patient. Teenagers are the hope of our future. Hong Kong is a dynamic city where family values are weakened. In “Falling Through The Ropes”, we can see the heart-warming stories of how some wild post-90’s are brought back to the right track by the Hong Kong Police Boxing Club. Hong Kong is a multi-cultural city where festa are all year round. In “Inside Hong Kong's Rugby Sevens”, one of the biggest international sports event stagesHong Kongto the world.
Mr. Franklin Wong, Director of Broadcasting, RTHK, who is also the chief deviser of the project, remarked, “RTHK has always attached importance to the production of documentary films and over the past five years our documentary films have altogether won 86 international awards. To ramp up the development of the local creative industry, RTHK invited NGC to jointly launch the Hong Kong to the Worlddocumentary production project, which will widely open up our local production platform as well asto showcase our outstanding documentary films to 320 million homes worldwide through the NGC, bringing Hong Kong to the world.”
Mr. Zubin Gandevia, Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, National Geographic Channels, said, “Hong Kong to the Worldis a ‘for Hong Kong, from Hong Kong and by Hong Kong’initiative. Told from a unique Hong Kong perspective in National Geographic’s hallmark standard, the programme will reveal the fascinating stories of individuals who call Hong Kong their home. With the professional production standards of RTHK and NGC, Hong Kong to the Worldwill help to build the local production ecosystem by helping to engage industry professionals and viewers in the world of documentary film. This will be the first year of what we hope becomes a long and fruitful partnership.”
"Siu Mei Kung Fu”and “Inside Hong Kong's Rugby Sevens” are funded by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) under the sponsorship for the project Hong Kong to the World, while“Cancer and the City” and “Falling Through The Ropes” are funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. “We’d like to see that more young TV and filmmakers with high potentials are being nurtured under this project Hong Kong to the World. The whole idea is in line with our permanent faith and unfailing support to the local arts and cultural development”, Mr. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, commented. In addition, Mr Jerry Liu, Head of CreateHK, said, “By showing these documentaries on the National Geographic Channel, we wish to promote Hong Kong documentaries to the audience worldwide. This can help open up more opportunities for our creative talent, and reinforce Hong Kong's position as Asia's creative capital.”
By reflecting the multi-culturalism of Hong Kong, the winning teams also enhance Hong Kong’s cosmopolitan image. Apart from the local production staff, there are also participants coming from Australia, U.S.A., Britain and New Zealand. The elite collaboration comprised directors with rich experience in international documentary and commercial production, and executive producers who have management experience at working for international media; there are local T.V. production veterans as well as young independent directors. Also, one of the documentaries will feature local artist Eric Tsang as the host. Viewers will be able to watch these 4 distinctive documentary films on RTHK and the NGC respectively by the 4th quarter of 2011.
"Hong Kong to the World Documentary Fund 2010” is co-funded by CreateHK of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.RTHK and NGC had conducted a contract signing ceremony of the Hong Kong to the World production project last Thursday (October 14), attended by Mr. Franklin Wong, Director of Broadcasting, RTHK, and Mr. Zubin Gandevia, Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific andthe Middle East, National Geographic Channels. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the representative from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
