HAF 2006 will take place at HK's Convention and Exhibition Center from the 20th to the 23rd of March. 25 projects are on the slate and directors and producers from across Asia will vie for the attention of investors attending the event. Pang Ho-cheung, whose film Isabella recently won the Silver Bear for Best Film Music at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival, had a project in HAF 2005, Marriage Proposal, produced by Roger Garcia, which has not yet reached production.

 

From the 28 projects selected for last year's HAF only a handful have been completed. Pang, however, could not see any flaws in the set-up of HAF, and did not believe that if more projects were picked there would be a higher success rate. "I think that 20-something projects is enough. Investors can't meet that many filmmakers unless the period last for longer. For me, HAF isn't about the number of projects, but about making the projects chosen succeed in getting investors."

 

"Even though HAF's projects might not yield immediate opportunities, it's good to meet the producers who attend. They might not like your current project, but you can keep in touch and possibly work something out for a future film project."

 

Investors whom Pang met at HAF are still interested in Marriage Proposal and are awaiting his completion of the script. Pang wants to spend more time researching the background and history of his story before handing in a final draft.

 

Pang added that, "having this kind of film financing forum is great for us. It gives more opportunities to different directors from different countries to get their work done. One good thing about last year's HAF was that is was held under the canopy of the Entertainment Expo, so many people who came for that event could go and meet other people at Filmart and HAF."

 

Marriage Proposal is not the only writing Pang is currently involved in. Pang plans on shooting a Kung Fu action drama in the summer. "I want to try something different. I don't like being labeled. I enjoy watching many film genres from eroticism to action." Pang is still working on the script for this film. The budget is expected to be between 20 and 30 million HKD.

 

When queried on the subject of novels, and his possible return to literature, Pang merely said, "I always wanted to write another novel. I've been working on one for the past two years. This novel has a lot to do with film. The story revolves around a kid and how film influences his life. It's a little bit like an autobiography."

 

(hkfilmart March 8, 2006)