Hong Kong selects first project for Streaming Development Fund

The Hong Kong Film Development Council has announced the first shortlisted projects under a new plan to develop content for streaming platforms.

A content development scheme for streaming platforms was announced last year. The aim is to develop cross-disciplinary production teams and expand new distribution markets, and we will be recruiting participating teams to develop mini-series for streaming platforms in a contest format. The initial call for bids was open until June 2023.

Making the announcement during this week’s FilMart convention, FDC announced it has shortlisted 10 projects. It named them “Bass Lightyears.” “A Champion Comes”; “Kowloon Grand Hotel” and “Underworld”. “I’ll never go back today.” “Spirited Away”; “The Sparrow’s Eye”, “The Balikbayan Box Club”, “Once There Was a Jackal”, but other details such as producer, distributor, project genre and expected production budget were not disclosed.

The shortlisted teams will enter the second phase and will each receive between HK$600,000 and HK$1.2 million ($77,000-$145,000) in script development fees to develop a production proposal and a complete script for the entire miniseries. Masu.

In the next phase, the winning team is selected and advances to Phase 3. Each of these will receive $4.5 million ($577,000) to produce the first one or first two episodes of the series. Along with script development fees, each final winning team will be awarded a total of up to $5.7 million (approximately $731,000), with additional funds likely to be sought through commercial deals and investments.

Dr Wilfred Wong, Chairman of the Hong Kong Film Development Council, said: “This new scheme launched under the FDF has received an enthusiastic response from the industry. Over 50 eligible applications have been received. We are very encouraged by the 10 selected projects, which feature a diverse range of themes, creativity and an international perspective. We look forward to receiving support from investors to fund the completion of the entire project, which will be a mini-series, and thereby bring quality streaming content with a unique Hong Kong element to audiences around the world. I am.”

City officials are increasing funding schemes to help the film and television industry adapt to change. We recently added a European element to our international co-production grant system.