We present the projects for the Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum (HAF) which will take place online for its second year from March 15th – 17th, 2021.

29 Projects from established Asian directors and producers such as Hur Jin-ho, Kawase Naomi, Ning Hao, Ogigami Naoko, Wang Bing, Yee Chih-Yen, emerging filmmakers like Cai Chengjie, Oliver Chan, Roya Sadat, Yang Mingming, as well as nine first-feature directors, will participate of the 19th Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum (HAF) that will run concurrently with the 25th Hong Kong Filmmart (FILMART) from March 15th – 17th, 2021.

Jacob Wong director of HAF said, “Despite the challenging circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, HAF remains strongly committed to filmmakers. We will have our dedicated online meeting platform this year for accredited HAF and FILMART participants to schedule and conduct meetings directly. It’s hassle-free and user-friendly, requiring no download or additional log-on.”

Next month, HAF19 will announce additional projects chosen for its Work-in-Progress (WIP) section which targets filmmakers seeking post-production fundings, distribution opportunities and festival support. Together, these projects will be eligible for HAF19’s 17 awards, with a combined cash and in-kind value of HK$1,200,000 (approximately US$157,000).

Full list of HAF19 Projects:

Documentaries
Afloat* directed by Arkus | India
Producer: Gargi Chakrabarti | Arkus Entertainment

Another World directed by Tushar Madhav | India, Japan
Producer: Tushar Madhav, Shilpi Gulati | Basic Bae Films

Gross National Happiness directed by Arun Bhattarai | Bhutan
Producer: Arun Bhattarai, Noémi Szakonyi | Sound Pictures

I Come from Ikotun directed by Wang Bing | France, Hong Kong
Producer: Isabelle Glachant | Chinese Shadows, Wil Productions

The Baby Carries* directed by Chen Lingwei | USA
Producer: Ning Hao | Dirty Monkey Productions

The Sinking Island directed by Sourav Sarangi | India
Producer: Sourav Sarangi, George Kalomenopoulos, Riccardo Biadene | Son et Lumiere

The Way We Ad* directed by Bud-ming | Hong Kong
Producer: Teresa Kwong | Ideas Un Limited

Vrindavan: City of Windows directed by Vikram Dasgupta | India, Canada, New Zealand
Producer: Alex Yoke-sun Lee, Marilyn McFadyen | Yalla Media Ltd.

When Clouds Gather* directed by Clarissa Zhang | China
Producer: Clarissa Zhang, Yve Vonn Lee | Golden Lining Films, Afternoon Pictures

Fictional Features
108 Days directed by Lucky Kuswandi | Indonesia
Producer: Muhammad Zaidy, Meiske Taurisia | Palari Films

All About My Father* directed by Hu Guo | China
Producer: Wang Jing | IMAGE X Productions

Beautiful Days in the South* directed by Tsao Shih-Han | Taiwan
Producer: Yee Chih-Yen | Life Scenery Films

Beyond the Fog directed by Murase Daichi | Japan
Producer: Kawase Naomi | Nara International Film Festival

Birthmark directed by Aditya Vikram Sengupta | India
Producer: Anshulika Dubey, Priyankar Patra | For Films

Blind Forest* directed by Ogigami Naoko | Japan
Producer: Nakayama Keiko | Fuji Creative Corporation

Cangrejos directed by Zurich Chan | Philippines
Producer: Gale Osorio | Binisaya Movement Inc, Southern Lantern Studios

Donna, Donna directed by Qi Rui | China
Producer: Zhu Dan | Beijing BigFish Cine Co., Ltd.

Getting Nowhere directed by Yang Mingming | China
Producer: Yang Jing | Beijing Trend Cultural Investment Co., Ltd.

Her Lullaby directed by Oliver Chan | Hong Kong
Producer: Oliver Chan | No Ceiling Film Production Limited

HERs directed by Susie Au | Hong Kong
Producer: Joe Chan | Handmade Films Ltd.

Hit the Wall* directed by Ho Ching-yi | Hong Kong
Producer: Mak Ho-pong | A Dot Creative Studio

Love to Bits* directed by Wong Wan-sze | Hong Kong
Producer: Wong Wan-sze, Leung Kin-pong | Electric Diamond Production Limited

Soft Whispers Over Time directed by Liu Hao | China
Producer: Zhang Han | Beijing Cornerstone Entertainment Co., Ltd.

Splash directed by Cai Chengjie | China
Producer: Cai Chengjie | Seshizi (Beijing) Montion Pictures

Sunfire directed by Yang Rui | China
Producer: Fang Li | Beijing Shu Shu Shu Screen Culture Co., Ltd.

The Catch* directed by Rishi Chandna | India
Producer: Dina Dattani | Furaha Pictues Limited

The Dinner directed by Hur Jin-ho | South Korea
Producer: Kim Won-kuk | Hive Media Corp.

The Forgotten History directed by Roya Sadat | Afghanistan, Spain
Producer: Alba Sotorra Clua, Roya Sadat | Roya Film House, Alba Sotorra Cinema Productions

The Peacemaker directed by Xu Lei | China
Producer: Ning Hao | Dirty Monkey Productions

* First-feature projects

Full list of the HAF19 awards and sponsors:
With the generous support of stakeholders, partners and sponsors, HAF will present a total of 17 cash and in-kind prizes, worth approximately HK$1,200,000 (about US$ 157,000).

HAF Fiction Awards – presented by Create Hong Kong, Hong Kong Film Development Fund and HAF
Two HAF fiction projects – one from Hong Kong and one from outside of Hong Kong – will receive a cash prize of HK$100,000 each (about US$12,900) for their originality and creativity.

HAF Documentary Awards – presented by Create Hong Kong, Hong Kong Film Development Fund and HAF
Two HAF documentary projects – one from Hong Kong and one from outside of Hong Kong – will receive a cash prize of HK$100,000 each (about US$12,900) for their originality and creativity.

WIP Fiction Award – presented by Create Hong Kong, Hong Kong Film Development Fund and HAF One WIP fiction project will receive a cash award of HK$78,000 (approximately US$10,000) for its originality and creativity. All WIP fiction projects are eligible for this award.

WIP Documentary Award – presented by Create Hong Kong, Hong Kong Film Development Fund and HAF
One WIP documentary project will receive a cash award of HK$78,000 (approximately US$10,000). All WIP documentary projects are eligible for this award which aims to encourage and promote documentary filmmaking.

Heaven Pictures Young Director Award – presented by Heaven Pictures (HK) Culture & Media
Representatives of Heaven Pictures (HK) Culture and Media will select one HAF project as the recipient of a cash award of HK$150,000 (approximately US$19,350). This award aims to encourage young Hong Kong directors to create local-themed projects with unique personal style.

Udine Focus Asia Award – presented by Udine Far East Film Festival
Representatives of the Udine Far East Film Festival would select one HAF project to participate in its project market, Focus Asia. The in-kind award is worth Euro 7,000 (approximately HK$62,000), comprising of a round-trip air ticket and hotel accommodation for the director and hotel accommodation for the producer. This award aims to encourage and facilitate coproduction between Asia and Europe.

Network of Asian Fantastic Films Award – presented by Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Representatives of Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival will select one HAF project to participate in its project market, Network of Asian Fantastic Films. The in-kind award is worth US$2,700 (approximately HK$21,000), comprising of one round-trip ticket and hotel accommodation.

Cinerent Award – presented by Cinerent Beijing Ltd
Representatives of Cinerent Beijing will select one HAF project with plans to shoot in mainland China as the recipient of an in-kind award of RMB 150,000 (approximately HK$175,000) in equipment rental and services.

White Light Post-Production Award – presented by White Light Studio
To promote cinematic innovation and promising Asian directors, White Light Studio offers two in-kind awards of US$15,000 (approximately HK$117,300) to one HAF project and one WIP project each. The recipients will receive post-production services at White Light’s facilities in Bangkok, Thailand.

HAF Goes to Cannes Programme – presented by HAF and Marché du Film
In collaboration with Marché du Film, Festival de Cannes, HAF will invite up to five WIP projects for market screening presentation and pitching at the Cannes Film Festival. This programme aims to facilitate projects already in production to secure post-production funding, sales agents and film-festival support.