8th First Feature Film Initiative receives overwhelming response

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Film Development Council:
 
    The 8th First Feature Film Initiative (FFFI) has received an overwhelming response with a total of 71 eligible applications, comprising 13 for the Higher Education Institution Group (HEIG) and 58 for the Professional Group (PG), which is an increase of over 40 per cent in the number of eligible applications compared with the number of the last edition (49 applications).
 
     The Chairman of the Hong Kong Film Development Council, Dr Wilfred Wong, said, "The FFFI has received an overwhelming response and attracted the participation of many young people who are interested in the Hong Kong film industry. This shows the passion and support of Hong Kong's new generation of film practitioners for the local film industry, which is encouraging. I look forward to seeing the winning film proposals be produced into high-quality films."
   
     Since its inception, the FFFI has sponsored 24 winning teams to make their films and incubated 26 new directors.
      
     The FFFI identifies new talent through a competition on screenplay and production proposals. The competition is divided into the HEIG and the PG, with each group being awarded a maximum of three prizes. The maximum sponsorship for each winning production team of the HEIG and the PG are $5 million and $8 million respectively. The Film Development Fund provides funding for the winning teams to implement their film proposals and make their first commercial feature films. The winning teams are required to complete the whole film production and sales process, which involve planning, shooting and distribution, and more, in order to acquire knowledge from creation to practical applications in making a feature film.