Date: 31st January 2001

Hong Kong Filmmaking On The Upturn, Says Exec


Hong Kong's premier film company, Golden Harvest Studios, is set for a rebound, led by a new Jackie Chan action-comedy, The Accidental Spy, the most expensive film ever produced in the territory, the Singapore Straits Times reported today (Wednesday).

Phoon Chiong Kit, the studio's Singaporean managing director, said that Golden Harvest plans to turn out 10-15 films during the current year. Phoon acknowledged that the studio hit "rough" times in the 1990s. "Piracy was the main culprit," he remarked. "That and the Asian financial crisis exacted a heavy toll not just on Golden Harvest but the entire Asian film industry as well." He maintained that piracy was abating in Asia and that Golden Harvest is poised to rebound as the market for movies in Asia widens. "Golden Harvest may not have the kind of money that Hollywood has but we are fairly formidable, especially in Asia where we understand the market and the cinema-goers."

Source: Studio Briefing