The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Film Development Council:
The local premiere of a new film financed by the Film Development Fund (FDF), "Men on the Dragon", will be held this evening (July 30). The production budget for the film was around $16.64 million, with government finance amounting to about $4.5 million.
"Men on the Dragon" is the first feature film directed by Sunny Chan, and stars Francis Ng, Poon Chan-leung, Nancy Wu and Jennifer Yu. The film depicts how four middle-aged men, who always muddle through their work, are forced to join their company's dragon boat racing team in order to stay immune from encroaching layoffs. Through the hardships during the training, their long-lost fighting spirit is rekindled.
The film was selected by the 2018 New York Asian Film Festival as the Centerpiece Film and its world premiere was held on July 12 in New York. Director Chan and actress Yu were invited to attend the premiere and a meet-the-audience session.
The Chairman of the Hong Kong Film Development Council, Mr Ma Fung-kwok, said, "The film was well received at the world premiere, which proves the attractiveness of Hong Kong films in international markets. The new director and experienced actors co-operated well to produce an inspirational film. It is also the first film to have audio description services in commercial theatrical exhibition. The film should be appealing to audiences including the visually impaired."
He added, "The Government will continue to support the film industry through the FDF in order to nurture more film professionals and foster the long-term development of the local film industry."
In May 2015, the Government further injected $200 million into the FDF to boost the volume of local film production and nurture film talent. Since 2007, the FDF has financed 32 film projects, involving total funding of about $90.76 million.
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