The 6th Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) is accepting project submissions until November 15, 2007. Organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) and co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong (HKTDC), Kowloon & New Territories Motion Picture Industry Association Ltd. (MPIA), the HAF will be held March 17 to 19, 2008 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre concurrently with FILMART, Asia's premier film market.

A core event of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, the HAF is Asia's premier project market designed to connect Asian filmmakers with upcoming film projects with internationally prominent film financiers, producers, bankers, distributors, buyers, and funders for co-production ventures. The HAF is the ideal venue for discovering and investing in emerging Asian talent, and for first-look opportunities of their latest projects. Past participants have included Chinese mainland's Jiang Wen and Ning Hao, Hong Kong's Stanley Kwan, Ann Hui, Pang Ho Cheung, Taiwan's Tsai Ming-Liang, Japan's Kore-Eda Hirokazu, Miike Takashi and Yukisada Isao, Korea's E J-Yong and IM Sang- Soo as well as Thailand's Yongyoot Tjonhkongtoon, Nonzee Nimibutr and Pen-ek Ratanaruang. Venice award winner Jia Jiangke, who commented, "With the help of HAF, I can introduce my film project effectively to the most influential film representatives and potential investors from the world. Moreover, HAF successfully lined up different including filmmakers, investors, critics, columnists as well as media and formed a gathering to facilitate mutual understanding and information exchanges."

In 2007 HAF presented a total of 7 awards amounting to approximately US$92,000 (HK$720,000) in cash and value in-kind. The HAF sponsors included the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Rome Film Festival, Sony Corporation of Hong Kong Ltd, Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited and Technicolor Thailand Ltd.

The HAF is supported by international partners that include CineMart and the Hubert Bals Fund of Rotterdam, Hong Kong Film Awards, Paris Cinema, Pusan Promotion Plan, the Rome Film Festival, J-Pitch of UniJapan, and associate partners Festival de Cannes, the Producers Network and Marche du Film. Many of the completed projects have gone on to screen at the world's most prestigious film festivals, among them Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Locarno, Deauville, and Pusan.

International partner the Rome Film Festival - or Festa - also subsequently invited three filmmakers with HAF projects to participate in the Rome Film Festival's New Cinema Network programme in October 2007: E-J-yong will present Homecoming, Yan Yan Mak will travel with Journal of Moonlight and Morning, and Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vo will take Point of Reference to the Festa this fall.

Beginning in 2007, the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society organized the inaugural Asian Film Awards (AFA) as the opening event of the highly successful Entertainment Expo Hong Kong which combines Hong Kong's leading film and entertainment events under one roof. Filmmakers, investors and stars from Asia and around the world come to Hong Kong to witness significant film industry events, adding to the appeal of the HAF.

For more information about application details or the HAF 2008, please visit the website, www.haf.org.hk, or contact Ms Karry Yu on +852 2970 3300, or via email at pr@hkiff.org.hk.