The 9th Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music)

 "Morning" Directed by YIP Yuen Ching and Starred by TABI Pocketed Four Prizes;

Simon ON, Carrier, Patrick LUI and Mischa IP Crowned as Gold Awardees of "Best Microfilm Actor/Actress Award" in Respective Tiers "Advertising Production Start-ups" & "Small Advertising Production Enterprises"

HONG KONG, April 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Organized by the Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing ("AIM") with Create Hong Kong ("CreateHK") of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR") as the Lead Sponsor, the 9^th Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music) ("Support Scheme") held the online Awards Presentation Ceremony cum Premiere on 30 March 2022, to announce the winners of the 26 awards which recognized outstanding original microfilms produced under the Support Scheme and their production crews. It was noted that the quality of the entries was excellent. Among them, "I lost my cat" directed by TANG Chiu Tang and starred by SADJAY, and "Interview with Lo Ting: An Oral history project" directed by CHU Ka Shing and starred by The Absent Brother stood out with their outstanding performances and won the respective Gold Award of the "Best Microfilm Production Award" in the "Advertising Production Start-ups" and the "Small Advertising Production Enterprises" Tiers. Simon ON Chun Ho, Carrier CHOI Tsz Ching, Patrick LUI Yau Fai, and Mischa IP won the respective Gold Award of the "Best Microfilm Actor Award" and "Best Microfilm Actress Award" in two tiers. The biggest winner is "Morning" directed by YIP Yuen Ching and starred by TABI which won a total of four prizes in the "Advertising Production Start-ups" tier.

The 9^th Support Scheme has 31 participating teams, each formed by a local advertising production company, a local director, and a local singer/ group. In the Tier 1 "Advertising Production Start-ups", there are 21 teams, whereas and the Tier 2 "Small Advertising Production Enterprises" has 10 teams. With the subsidies and professional training offered by the Support Scheme, these teams produced their original microfilms which competed for 26 awards. The online Awards Presentation Ceremony cum Premiere held on 30 March 2022 announced the winners of the awards, namely the "Best Microfilm Production Award", the "Best Microfilm Actor Award" and the "Best Microfilm Actress Award" (each with its Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards), as well as the "Best Microfilm Scriptwriting Award", the "Best Cinematography Award" and the "Best Art Direction Award." The winners of these awards were selected by a judging panel, while those of the "Most Popular Microfilm Award" were selected by public through online voting.

The AIM is pleased to have Dr. Bernard CHAN Pak Li, JP, Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR as the Guest of the Honor of the ceremony, as well as Mr. Ralph SZETO, Chairman of the AIM, Mr. Francis FONG, Founding and Honorary Chairman of the AIM, Mr. Ricky FUNG Tim Chee, BBS, CEO of the IFPI (Hong Kong Group), and representatives of the judges, Mr. Anthony LEE, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild, and Mr. Jason LAM, Scriptwriter, join the live broadcast of the ceremony, to witness the awardees' achievements. The winners of each tier are introduced in the following paragraphs. 

Tier 1 "Advertising Production Start-ups"

Gold Award of "Best Microfilm Production Award" went to "I lost my cat" starred by SADJAY

Produced by B&W Production Company and directed by TANG Chiu Tang, "I lost my cat" is expressed in a down-to-earth way, fully integrating and highlighting the atmosphere and texture of a nostalgic shopping mall, and at the same time capturing the essence of each character. The microfilm won the Gold Award of the "Best Microfilm Production Award". The five-member group SADJAY participated in the microfilm by portraying neighbors with different personalities in the play, and each of them was very distinct in characters. For their outstanding performance, four of them were jointly presented the Bronze Award of the "Best Microfilm Actor Award". Another microfilm produced by Yea Juk Production Limited, directed by TO Chun Him and starred by Wondergarl, "FLY" was crowned the Silver Award of the "Best Microfilm Production Award" with the script full of dark humor a very exciting and innovative story through the use of superb cinematography techniques.

As for the "Best Microfilm Actor Award ", Simon ON Chun Ho won the Gold Award for his starring role in "Hello World". In the microfilm, his precise handling of dialogue and tone successfully brought the audience into the story. "Hello World" whichwas produced by Mimesis Image, directed and written by LEE Daniel Pui Yiu, also earned honor for the "Best Microfilm Scriptwriting Award" with the twisted plot and the character designs that were full of surprises. For the Sliver Award, it was presented to Eric CHOW for his vivid and outstanding performance in "Hei, I'm Home" produced by GRAND MANNER CO., LIMITED and directed by Lo LAM.

"Morning" Clinches Four Awards as the Biggest Winner

Produced by N SQUARE and directed by YIP Yuen Ching, "Morning" was acclaimed for its precise editing skills, which brought the production team the Bronze Award of the "Best Microfilm Production Award". Showing the tension among the characters in a limited length of the microfilm, director of photography Man Nok WONG and art director Moss SIU Hei Ki impressed the judges with their unique shots and lighting, scene arrangements that fit the story and meticulous arrangement of props that won them, the "Best Cinematography Award" and "Best Art Direction Award". As the leading actress, TABI played a gentle and dangerous role in the play. Her delicate performance with personal style successfully captured the audience. She won the Bronze Award of the "Best Microfilm Actress Award", which is the fourth award received by the film.

Carrier (CHOI Tsz Ching) Won Gold Award of "Best Microfilm Actress Award" with Excellent Acting Skills for Three Consecutive Editions

"Jump Start" was produced by Good Things Production Limited and directed by TANG Ngai Hung. The leading actress, Carrier (CHOI Tsz Ching), showed her exquisite acting techniques in the microfilm and brought the audience into the character's emotions as well as the story. She has triumphed the Gold Award of the "Best Microfilm Actress Award" for three consecutive editions. The judges recognized her solid acting skills and suggested her consider challenging herself in the feature films on the big screen. The Silver Award of the "Best Microfilm Actress Award" went to Karen KONG, the heroine of "HEARTBREAK DIVERSION SERVICE" with humorous and interesting performance. The microfilm was produced by CoverDog Production Limited and directed by Din Sing Danson CHEUNG.

The "Most Popular Microfilm Award" was voted by the public online, the winner went to "So-Fa-Gio 852", produced by Dimensions Media Company Limited, directed by Tomy WAI, and starred by O3. In the story the protagonist was helped to regulate his emotion, so that he could walk out from the haze of his wife leaving him.

Tier 2 "Small Advertising Production Enterprises"

The Absent Brother won Two Awards for "Interview with Lo Ting: An Oral history project" 

In Tier 2 "Small Advertising Production Enterprises", "Interview with Lo Ting: An Oral history project", produced by ONE CREW PRODUCTION, directed by CHU Ka Shing and starred by The Absent Brother, was crowned the Gold Award of the "Best Microfilm Production Award". The microfilm was narrated in a pseudo-documentary style, with its natural and authentic vibe successfully drove the emotions of the audience. The judges highly praised and favored the professional visual effect in the microfilm and the music that was well-blended with the scenes which made it very suitable for screening on big screen. Furthermore, the keen sense of touch and extraordinary photography skills as demonstrated by the director of photography, Will WONG in the perfect overall shooting distance helped build the plot of the microfilm. It won him the "Best Cinematography Award".

"Accident" and "Enter Your Dream" Each Won Three Awards

Produced by Netvision, directed and written by WONG Hing Nam, "Accident" created a lot of surprise transitions with its excellent script. The microfilm was handled as professionally as a commercial film with proficient shooting effect. The character building of each role and the balance between the actors in the leading and supporting roles successfully brought out the protagonist's inner world emotion. All these accumulated to win the microfilm the Silver Award of the "Best Microfilm Production Award" and the "Best Microfilm Scriptwriting Award". The microfilm climaxed in the actress' monologue happened in one shot, which was also a big challenge for Mischa IP. Despite her performance in microfilm, the outcome was stunning that crowned her the Gold Award of the "Best Microfilm Actress Award". 

FOK Pui Sze, previously the art director of many films, directed her first microfilm "Enter Your Dream" this time. The whole production was meticulous, especially the sets, costumes, makeup, and even the tone of the actors and actresses, which were well managed to bring the audience back to the 1980s. This microfilm, produced by Verse Case Scenario Studio and with Ber LEUNG as the art director, won the Bronze Award of the "Best Microfilm Production Award" and the "Best Art Direction Award". Hana TAM, the leading actress who played the younger version of the actress LAM Kin Ming in the microfilm, showed her unique acting techniques and well preparation in reinterpreting the mood of the 1980s that was required by her character. She was named the Bronze Award of the "Best Microfilm Actress Award" for such outstanding performance.

As for the Silver Award of the "Best Microfilm Actress Award," it went to Susan SHAW Yam-Yam, who starred in "Electric Goddess". Her superb performance perfectly matched with the bold and spooky image in the microfilm. The work is produced by Buddha's Protein Entertainment Ltd and directed by Jach CHOW.

Gold Award of "Best Microfilm Actor Award" went to Patrick LUI Yau Fai for his lively and delicate acting

"TIME TRAVEL AGENCY", which was produced by THREE FIVE TEAMWORK PRODUCTION LIMITED and directed by LI Man Shun, won Patrick LUI Yau Fai, the leading actor, the Gold Award of the "Best Microfilm Actor Award" for his lively and delicate acting. The microfilm was also awarded the "Most Popular Microfilm Award". Will LEE Ho Hin crowned the Silver Award of the "Best Microfilm Actor Award" for his excellent performance in "A Night in Cheung Wing" produced by One Tik Production and directed by LUI Siu Wing. He illustrated the natural transition of emotions in the character and his sincere work was highly praised by the judges.

Roberto MADAN took the challenge of being the leading actor in the fantasy love story "Mermaid Squama". His hard work was recognized that won him the Bronze Award of the "Best Microfilm Actor Award". The microfilm was produced by One Cool Pictures Limited and directed by Ivan LAW.

Dr. Bernard CHAN Pak Li, JP, Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR, delivered a speech at the online Awards Presentation Ceremony of the 9^th Support Scheme. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the AIM on successfully organizing the project. He also remarked that the success of the Support Scheme demonstrated the funding support of the HKSAR Government could lead to more cross-sector collaboration in creative industries.

Speaking on the same occasion, Mr. Ralph SZETO, the Chairman of the AIM, said that, "It is our pleasure and honor to organize the Support Scheme again this year, which has been supported and sponsored by CreateHK for many years in a row. The quality of the microfilm produced under the Support Scheme keeps improving over the years. Not only did they win overseas awards, they also helped many participating singers gain further exposure and opportunities in the film and television sectors. The participating directors have remarkable development in advertising, film, and television industries as well. Like Lawrence KAN Kwan Chun who directed a well-received TV series 'In Geek We Trust' and Kelvin CHAN Kin Long who directed the film 'Hand Rolled Cigarette' that has been nominated for seven awards in this year's Hong Kong Film Awards." Mr. SZETO hopes that the Support Scheme will continue to receive wide support and help nurture more creative local talent, so as to further develop the advertising, film production and the entire creative industries in Hong Kong.

The 31 microfilms produced under the 9^th Support Scheme have been uploaded onto the project's official website for public's FREE viewing. The full list of winners can be found in the Annex.

The 9^th Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music)

The 9^th Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music) ("Support Scheme") comprises two tiers. For the Tier 1 "Advertising Production Start-ups", it has 21 teams, each formed by a local advertising start-up established within the last six years, one local director who has less than six years' experience, and a local singer/group paired up with the start-up through drawing of ballots. Each team received a maximum subsidy of HK$120,000 to produce its original microfilms with storylines of four to eight minutes. As for the Tier 2 "Small Advertising Production Enterprises", it has 10 teams, each formed by a local small-sized advertising production company established within the last 12 years, a local director who has less than 12 years' experience and a local singer/group teamed up with the company by themselves. Each team received a subsidy up to HK$220,000 to produce its original microfilm with storylines of 12 to 16 minutes.

The singers/groups who participated in the Support Scheme provided songs for use and performed in the microfilms of their own teams and thereby earned more performing experiences and increased exposure.

Besides, training, mentorship and all-round promotional support for the participating teams will be provided by the organizer. The teams with prominent performances will be recommended for further participation in international microfilm or short film-related competitions for more people to appreciate the creative works of Hong Kong's younger generation.

For more details about the Support Scheme, please visit: http://www.microfilm-music.hk.

Create Hong Kong

Create Hong Kong ("CreateHK") is a dedicated agency set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR") in June 2009. It is under the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community. CreateHK sponsors the Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music) since 2013/14 and other projects to support the development of local advertising and music industries.

Website: http://www.createhk.gov.hk

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.

Annex