The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) has encouraged creative talents in Italy to consider seizing the opportunities available in Hong Kong for experienced professionals in the film, digital entertainment and music industries.
Speaking at the Salento International Film Festival in Tricase, Italy, on September 6 (Tricase time), the Deputy Representative of HKETO, Brussels, Miss Fiona Chau, said, "Our film industry is just like Hong Kong – it is multifaceted, unique, energetic and very international. And we would like to make it more international still."
She added, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government actively encourages professionals of the creative industries, who are among the 11 professional groups covered by the first Talent List promulgated recently, from Europe and around the world to live in Hong Kong and become part of this vibrant scene."
Miss Chau was speaking before a screening of the restored version of Fruit Chan's "Made in Hong Kong", one of three classic Hong Kong films being screened at the Festival from September 6 to 8. The other two films are Dante Lam's "Unbeatable" and Tsui Hark's "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon".
Miss Chau congratulated the Salento International Film Festival on its 15th anniversary, and thanked it for presenting Hong Kong films to a wider Italian audience over the years. She commended it for being an excellent partner for cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Italy, noting that in May this year, the Festival took Italian films to Hong Kong as part of the first Salento Week in the city.
Earlier in the day, Miss Chau spoke at a business seminar held in Tricase to promote Hong Kong as the gateway for Italian companies to enter the Mainland and Belt and Road markets. The business seminar was followed by a networking reception. During her visit to Italy, Miss Chau also met with senior officials of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Rome on September 5 and the President of the Italy Oriental Chamber of Commerce in Bari on September 7 to update them on the latest developments of Hong Kong.