“Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026,” a joint initiative by the Cultural, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Hong Kong Film Development Council, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, is being held at the Cannes Film Festival from 12 to 23 May. The event aims to deepen industry exchange and expand co-production and investment opportunities, highlighting Hong Kong’s role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange and a regional intellectual property trading hub.
A highlight of the program, “Hong Kong Night” took place on 16 May at Majestic Beach, gathering around 600 international film professionals. The event connected global players with Hong Kong exhibitors, emerging producers, and actors Carlos Chan and Natalie Hsu, as well as winning teams of the FDC’s Content Development Scheme for Streaming Platforms, creating valuable opportunities for international exchange and collaboration discussions.
The Hong Kong Pavilion, staged at the Marché du Film, features a strong line-up including Edko Films, Emperor Motion Pictures, Entertaining Power, Media Asia Film, and One Cool Film. Exhibitors showcase latest productions such as Edko Films’ Cold War 1994, Entertaining Power’s The Fruitless Tree, Media Asia Film’s Twilight of the Warriors: The Final Chapter, and One Cool Film’s The Trier of Fact. These projects have attracted producers, investors, and distributors from various countries, facilitating in-depth discussions on Hong Kong cinema’s latest creative trends and international co-operation opportunities.
Anna Cheung, Assistant Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: “By co-organising ‘Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026’ once again with the CSTB, FDC and CCIDA during the Cannes Film Festival, the HKTDC helps the Hong Kong industry follow up on projects discussed at the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market held in March, and brings Hong Kong original works to overseas markets. We also support international screen productions in entering the Asian market via Hong Kong, reinforcing the city’s role as a vital bridge connecting Asian and the global markets.”
Participating companies noted the effectiveness of the Hong Kong Pavilion in facilitating meetings with international buyers. Grace Chan, Head of Distribution at Entertaining Power Co. Limited, said: “I bring the family-drama-themed title ‘The Fruitless Tree’. It is very important for me to meet every programmer from different film festivals. This is a really good bridge for us to come here and present a movie to everyone in the market especially film festival programmers.” Vanessa Lo, Vice President of Sales and Distribution at Media Asia, said: “Media Asia joined the Hong Kong Pavilion at this year’s Cannes market to seek partners for ‘Twilight of the Warriors: The Final Chapter’, and successfully established partnerships with buyers from multiple territories including France, Germany, Singapore and Vietnam.”
Industry seminars and exchange activities were also organized, including a seminar titled “Capital Flows & Co-Production Opportunities in Hong Kong, Asia and Beyond,” which shared insights into funding trends and co-production opportunities. Another seminar, “Hong Kong Power: The ground-breaking AI ecosystem building cinema, technology and research,” featured representatives from Mei Ah Entertainment and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, discussing AI in film creation and talent development.
The newly introduced “Spotlight on Hong Kong: Pitching Session” featured five emerging Hong Kong producers and their latest film projects, along with award-winning teams of the FDC’s Content Development Scheme for Streaming Platforms. These sessions facilitated in-depth exchanges on creative visions and collaboration models, aiming to nurture the next generation of Hong Kong film talent.
“Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026” also introduced its first-ever business matching meetings, connecting the Hong Kong delegation with overseas producer delegations from organizations such as Cinecittà from Italy, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, the Korean Film Council, Telefilm Canada, CNC (France), Cinema do Brasil, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH, and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund. These meetings deepened long-term collaboration and promoted co-production opportunities between filmmakers worldwide and Hong Kong.
