The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will continue to invest in and upgrade sports and recreational facilities, while extending financial support to the film-making industry to cement the SAR’s status as a cultural city with a rich and diversified mixture of Chinese and Western elements, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in his weekly Sunday blog.

Kai Tak Sports Park -- the city’s largest ever sports infrastructure project -- will be completed and open to the public in the first half of next year. Chan said the facility will help in hosting more international-level sports events. “Sports and cultural performances will allow more citizens and tourists to watch high-quality events and performances, and will lift the retail, catering and tourism-related industries,” he said.

The finance chief noted that local films have become increasingly diversified in recent years, with new directors, actors and talents emerging in large numbers, enabling home and overseas audiences to appreciate the unique cultural charm of Hong Kong stories

The finance chief noted that local films have become increasingly diversified in recent years, with new directors, actors and talents emerging in large numbers, enabling home and overseas audiences to appreciate the unique cultural charm of Hong Kong stories.

After injecting HK$1 billion ($128 million) into the Film Development Fund in the 2019-2020 Budget, the government poured an additional HK$1.4 billion into the fund last year. The fund has continuously launched new projects to support the industry, such as projects that enable senior directors to serve as producers to lead new directors and pass on their experiences. The fund also helps to cultivate creative teams to develop the streaming platform market.

“The fund has financed more than 100 films so far, involving more than 100 new directors and producers, as well as many young actors and created thousands of jobs. Related films have also won more than 160 local and international awards,” Chan said.

New funding schemes have been launched in the past two years to enable local filmmakers and producers to explore the Chinese mainland market and promote exchanges with film-making industry players in Europe and Asia.

The SAR government has led delegations to participate in world-renowned international film festivals in Cannes, Berlin and Venice. Hong Kong will also actively participate in other global film festivals held in Toronto, Busan and Tokyo. “We hope local films can enter more overseas markets to enable more international audiences to watch Hong Kong films,” Chan said.