> Though the Hong Kong movie industry folks had been anxious about the return
> of Hong Kong to China, apparently the HK movie industry has lately fallen
> into dire straits not because of nominal communism of China but because of
> enterprising pirate video makers. Meanwhile, Hollywood has increased its
> HK market share, taking advantage of the decline of the HK production.
> ***** The Toronto Star
> May 16, 1999, Sunday, Edition 1
> HEADLINE: PIRATES CHOP HONG KONG FILM INDUSTRY
> Here in the heart of unregulated capitalism, video piracy has reached
> epidemic proportions.
> Pirated VCDs have been affectionately dubbed ''People's Heads Pictures'' -
> a reference to the heads of members of the audience that turn up in pirated
> videos shot directly off cinema screens. The bobbing heads appear less and
> less on new bootleg copies. Industry insiders say organized crime
> syndicates are now getting prints directly from labs and are striking
> cleaner discs.
> Hong Kong films have relied on martial arts, fighting and
> inventive stunts instead of the computerized special effects of American
> movies.
> The trick, Chung believes, is to add some Hollywood glitz. If there's no
> value added, kids will opt for cheap grainy pirated discs.
> Chung's latest movie, Gen-X Cops, scheduled to be released this summer,
> promises to be a little more Hollywood and a little less Hong Kong. The
> usual stunt people are taking a back seat to a California company that
> specializes in digital effects.
> Yoshie
bit of an update...
New legislation making piracy more serious criminal offense went into
effect at beginning of 2000. Includes having cops assigned to 'movie
theater' patrol to confiscate video cams from movie goers. But as
above article points out, fewer bootleg videos are made this way.
Cheung Yuen-ting & Alex Law's late-1998 release, *City of Glass*, may
have been first major HK film to be counterfeited via 'inside job'
during post-production process
HK film industry has had some box office success in last couple of years.
Andrew Lau Wai-keung scored big with high-tech special effects fantasy-
actioners *Storm Riders* and *A Man Called Hero*. Above mentioned
*Gen-X Cops* (an HK *Mod Squad*) also drew folks into theaters.
Current hopes for rebound appear linked to HK-Hollywood joint ventures.
Tsui Hark's new film *Time and Tide* was financed by Columbia Pictures.
Yim Ho's *Pavilion of Women* (featuring Willem Dafoe) was also an
'international' production (as such films are being called). Miramax,
20th Century Fox & Warner Bros. have all set up shop in Hong Kong.
Eventual 'prize?' Potential access to the Mainland. Hollywood co-ventures
with HK companies are looking to then co-venture with Mainland (either
state-run or one of several private) companies in order to circumvent
restrictions on film imports that limit number to about 20 per year (up
from 10 a few years ago). Michael Hoover
