The 4th Hong Kong International Mobile Film Awards Ceremony

Contributing to international creative exchange

Films from different countries show different characteristics

HONG KONG, March 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Jointly organized by Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA) and Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), and sponsored by Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the 4th Hong Kong International Mobile Film Awards Ceremony was held today (March 27) with great success. Guests from all over the world gathered together to celebrate the glory of the winners (winner list attached below).

The Hong Kong International Mobile Film Awards (HKIMFA) was one of the highlights of the Hong Kong International Mobile Film Festival (HKIMFF). A total of 10 film festivals around the world participated in this year's HKIMFF as festival partners. They include Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Israel, Korea, the Mainland China, Singapore and Taiwan region. Each festival partner nominated their best 10 mobile films to compete for various international awards in the grand final held in Hong Kong. After rounds of professional judging by the industry representatives of Hong Kong and representatives of the festival partners, the winners were determined and are announced today at the award ceremony.

The 4th HKIMFA Ceremony was held in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The organizers are honored to have Mr. Jerry Liu, Head of Create Hong Kong, Mr. Billy Yeung, Vice Chairman of the WTIA, and Mrs. Agnes Mak, MH, JP, Executive Director of the HKPC, as the Guests of Honor to officiate at the ceremony, while Mr. Kit Hung, Lecturer of the Academy of Film of Hong Kong Baptist University cum Film Director, and Mr. Neco Lo, Secretary General, Hong Kong Animation Association, were invited to present awards to the winners. Representatives of festival partners and directors of the finalist mobile films also attended the ceremony. Mr. Billy Yeung offered his welcome to the guests and remarked that, "HKIMFA is glad to present the benchmark and the best of the best. As one of the organizers, WTIA is proud to take the lead and host the grand event for the 4th year with a total of 10 participating countries and cities."

Great Creativity and Strong Regional Characteristics

A judging panel formed by representatives of festival partners gathered in Hong Kong yesterday (March 26) to determine the winner list from the finalists. The panel revealed that the finalists this year generally show great creativity and strong characters of their home region. One of the examples is Zombie Guillotines, the film representing Hong Kong in the HKIMFA, which is the Gold Award Winner of the Best Micro-film (Drama) in the 7th Hong Kong Mobile Film Production Contest. Its main storyline covers Guillotines and Zombies, which originate from the Chinese and the Western culture respectively. The film successfully presents cross-cultural element which is typically a Hong Kong characteristic. Apart from that, the film from France -- A Minute of Silence is strongly characterized by its French aura of black humor. In the film, a sign language conversation between two brothers ironically reveals all the nonsense behind a family prayer for their grandfather in coma.

In particular, the panel is impressed by the finalists of the animation category which are full of innovative ideas and managed to offer the audience rooms of imagination. Many of these entries also coincidently used symbolism to present their stories, yet having their own characteristics in terms of drawing and visual style. The panel found them all remarkable. As for the finalists of the drama category, the panel noted that they cover topics ranging from family issues, love stories to horrors. Some of these entries are even created by short film directors who have already been enjoying great fame in their home regions (such as the renowned Canadian director Greg Emetaz).

The organizers are pleased that the HKIMFA has attracted entries of quality mobile films. Moreover, in view of the growing popularity of using smartphone for mobile film shooting, the HKIMFA also offers an award of the Best Smartphone Film to encourage more production in this field.

The HKIMFF is jointly organized by WTIA and HKPC since 2011. It has been successfully introducing outstanding local mobile films to the world and catching international attention to Hong Kong's creativity, and at the same time bringing impressive works from other parts of the world to Hong Kong audience. It symbolizes that creative ideas and dreams can be spread globally through mobile films. For more details, please visit the festival website at http://www.hkimfa.com.

The 4th Hong Kong International Mobile Film Awards Winner List

*To view the finalist films, please visit:
http://www.hkimfa.com/2013/hkimfa2014-finalist.php