Macao and Hong Kong companies looking to gain a stake in the mainland Chinese film business will now face fewer hurdles, after the China Film Administration announced a series of new rules.
In a statement issued yesterday, China’s film regulator said that Macao and Hong Kong companies would be permitted to invest and establish their own film companies on the Chinese mainland, using pre-existing regulatory guidelines for foreign investment and business registration.
Under the new rules, Macao and Hong Kong enterprises can serve as either the main producer or the co-producer of a mainland feature. In both cases, they will need to abide by mainland film regulations.
Companies serving as the main producer are permitted to submit their own application for a film project.
SAR businesses working in other sectors may expand their operations to include film production, so long as they receive approval from the State Administration for Market Regulation.
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The new measures allow SAR companies to invest in movies across a range of genres, including story-driven films, animations, science-fiction, documentaries, special and VR films.
According to the China Film Administration, the introduction of these rules is intended to “further deepen film cooperation and exchange between the mainland, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, and promote film creation and production.”
The new rules came into effect yesterday, and could provide further opportunities for local filmmakers to develop their skills and collaborate with their mainland peers.
Film production in Macao remains very small and is largely subsidised by the government. Earlier this month, the Cultural Development Fund announced the sixth edition of its support program for feature length films, with the four selected projects eligible for up to 2 million patacas in funding.
While local film production remains scarce, Macao remains a popular shooting location for overseas film crews, with the city appearing in films such as In the Mood for Love (2000), Now You See Me 2 (2016) and Johnny English Reborn (2017).
