Hong Kong should attract foreign filmmakers to shoot in city, election candidate says
Lawmaker Kenneth Fok says foreign productions will bring jobs to city, while his opponent Lo Kwong-ping pushes for collaborations with mainland China
Hong Kong authorities should offer more incentives to attract foreign filmmakers to shoot in the city and create fresh job opportunities for the local industry, the incumbent lawmaker of the sector has said as he seeks another term.
Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, who represents the sports, performing arts, culture and publication sector in the legislature, on Monday also called on the government task force that helps mainland Chinese enterprises go abroad to extend its support to local performing arts groups seeking to take their shows overseas.
Fok made the appeal at an election forum, in which he faced off against Lo Kwong-ping, deputy editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong China News Agency, for the functional constituency seat to be returned by sector-based voters.
“The biggest issue the local film industry faces today is that there are no jobs for them,” Fok said when asked for suggestions to help the local film industry expand overseas and on the mainland.
“I suggest the government offers more incentives to draw large international productions to shoot in Hong Kong.”
The government could craft policies to provide funds or offer locations for free so these foreign productions could hire locals, he explained. Supporting such projects would also help showcase the city’s “beautiful scenery” to the world.