'Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026': Hong Kong's role as a bridge between global and Asian film markets

CANNES, FRANCE, May 18, 2026 - ( JCN Newswire ) - 'Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026', jointly organised by the Cultural, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Hong Kong Film Development Council (FDC), the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), is held at the Cannes Film Festival from 12 to 23 May.

Exhibitions, industry seminars, business matching meetings, project pitching sessions and networking activities are organised to promote crossregional coproduction opportunities while underscoring Hong Kong's role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange and a regional intellectual property (IP) trading hub. It also showcases the strength and creative diversity of Hong Kong's film industry to the global screen community.

'Hong Kong Night' enhances international industry exchange

As a highlight of 'Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026', 'Hong Kong Night' was held on 16 May at Majestic Beach in Cannes, bringing together around 600 international film professionals, including producers, distributors, investors and film promotion organisations. The event connected these global industry players with Hong Kong exhibitors, emerging producers, and Hong Kong actors Carlos Chan and Natalie Hsu, as well as winning teams of the FDC's Content Development Scheme for Streaming Platforms, creating valuable opportunities for international exchange and discussions on collaboration.

The Hong Kong Pavilion: industry strengths help expand global collaboration

The Hong Kong Pavilion is staged at the March' du Film, featuring a strong lineup of Hong Kong film production and distribution companies, including Edko Films, Emperor Motion Pictures, Entertaining Power, Media Asia Film, and One Cool Film. Other participating Hong Kong film companies include Fortune Star Media, Golden Network Asia, Mandarin Motion Pictures, and Blast Films.

Exhibitors feature a range of latest and upcoming productions, including Edko Films' Cold War 1994; the Chinese film Under Current, the top opening box office title of 2025; Entertaining Power's The Fruitless Tree; Media Asia Film's Twilight of the Warriors: The Final Chapter; and One Cool Film's crime action film The Trier of Fact. These feature film projects have attracted producers, investors and distributors from different countries and regions, facilitating indepth discussions on Hong Kong cinema's latest creative trends, production strengths and international cooperation opportunities.

Anna Cheung, Assistant Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: 'By coorganising 'Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026' once again with the CSTB, FDC and CCIDA during the Cannes Film Festival, the HKTDC helps the Hong Kong industry follow up on projects discussed at the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) held in March, and brings Hong Kong original works to overseas markets. We also support international screen productions in entering the Asian market via Hong Kong, reinforcing the city's role as a vital bridge connecting Asian and the global markets.'

Participating companies said the Hong Kong Pavilion provides a highly effective platform for meetings with international buyers. Many participants received enquiries and collaboration invitations and say that 'Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026' significantly raises the profile of Hong Kong cinema internationally, making it a key gateway for market expansion.

Grace Chan, Head of Distribution at Entertaining Power Co. Limited said, "I bring the family-drama-themed title 'The Fruitless Tree'. It is very important for me to meet every programmer from different film festivals. This is a really good bridge for us to come here and present a movie to everyone in the market especially film festival programmers."

Vanessa Lo, Vice President of Sales and Distribution at Media Asia, said: 'Media Asia joined the Hong Kong Pavilion at this year's Cannes market to seek partners for 'Twilight of the Warriors: The Final Chapter', and successfully established partnerships with buyers from multiple territories including France, Germany, Singapore and Vietnam, many of whom had previously collaborated on 'Walled In'.' Mark Shaw, Director of Shaw Organisation, and Hang Trinh, Chief Executive Officer of Skyline Media, said: 'The success of the 'Twilight of the Warriors' franchise stems from its strong cast, distinctly Hong Kong storytelling, and continued global demand for Hong Kong action cinema.'

Exploring Asian film markets and seizing global opportunities

A series of industry seminars and exchange activities were also organised during the event. At the seminar titled 'Capital Flows & CoProduction Opportunities in Hong Kong, Asia and Beyond', speakers shared insight into funding trends and coproduction opportunities in Hong Kong and Asian film markets. Another seminar, 'Hong Kong Power: The groundbreaking AI ecosystem building cinema, technology and research', featured representatives from Mei Ah Entertainment and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, who discussed the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in film creation, production workflows and talent development. The session also explored how Hong Kong can foster crossregional and crosssector collaborations by integrating industry, academia and research, alongside the rapid advancement of AI technologies.

The newly introduced 'Spotlight on Hong Kong: Pitching Session' starred five emerging Hong Kong producers and their latest film projects. Awardwinning teams of the FDC's Content Development Scheme for Streaming Platforms also participated, with three winning producers - Kingman Cho, Li Ling Long and Tsang Tsui Shan ' sharing updates on their projects. These sessions facilitated indepth exchanges between the Hong Kong delegation and producers from different countries and regions on creative visions, production experience and collaboration models, with the aim of nurturing the next generation of Hong Kong film talent and enhancing their competitiveness in the international market.

'Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026' also introduced its firstever business matching meetings, connecting the Hong Kong delegation with overseas producer delegations led by international organisations. Participating international organisations included returning partners from Producers Connect @ FILMART 2026, such as Cinecitt' from Italy, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), ICEX Spain Trade and Investment and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), as well as new partners including Telefilm Canada, CNC (France), Cinema do Brasil, Medienboard BerlinBrandenburg GmbH from Germany, and Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Fund. These meetings have deepened longterm collaboration between Hong Kong and international institutions, while promoting coproduction and partnership opportunities between filmmakers worldwide and Hong Kong.

Photo download: https://bit.ly/3Puddnp

'Hong Kong Night' brought together around 600 filmmakers, investors, distributors, and industry representatives from around the world, and featured the attendance of actors Carlos Chan (far left) and Natalie Hsu (second left)

Under Hong Kong Cinema @ CANNES 2026, a Hong Kong Pavilion was set up, attracting a wide range of Hong Kong film production and distribution companies to showcase their latest and upcoming productions, while exploring collaboration opportunities with the global film and television industry

The seminar 'Capital Flows & CoProduction Opportunities in Hong Kong, Asia and Beyond' examined capital trends and coproduction opportunities in the Hong Kong and Asian film markets

The seminar 'Hong Kong Power: The groundbreaking AI Ecosystem building cinema, technology and research' featured representatives from Mei Ah Entertainment and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, who shared insight into the application and future development of artificial intelligence (AI) in film creation, production processes, and talent development

The 'Spotlight on Hong Kong: Pitching Session' highlighted five featured Hong Kong producers and their latest film projects, and announced the winning teams of the Content Development Scheme for Streaming Platforms previously launched by the Hong Kong Film Development Council

Media enquiries

HKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs Department:

Serena Cheung Tel: (852) 2584 4272 Email: serena.hm.cheung@hktdc.org

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels.