Over 400 exhibitors from 28 regions have signed up for this year's Hong Kong International Film & TV Market, 15% more than before, Trade Development Council says.

Entering its 10th anniversary, FILMART, Asia's world entertainment market, has become the cross-media platform for industry players to network, exchange and trade.

A wide variety of products and services, spanning from film, animation, digital entertainment, audio-visual equipment, post production and music productions, will be on show at the four-day event from March 20 to 23.

The show includes first time exhibitors from Turkey, the Bahamas and Iran. More than 160 film screenings and international premieres will be arranged for trade visitors and over 4,000 buyers have already registered online to visit the show.

Music fair

Five seminars will be held during the show while the inaugural Hong Kong Music Fair will be launched. It is a dedicated pavilion for music industry professionals and players to explore business opportunities on copyright trading, new media application, technology transfer and cross-media partnerships.

The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum will be held concurrently with FILMART for the third time. The forum serves as a matchmaking platform for the film industry, helping commercially viable and promising film projects in Hong Kong and Asia locate financial and business support through co-productions or joint ventures.

Of the 25 projects selected for this year's forum, a number of Hong Kong directors including Stanley Kwan, Fruit Chan and Gordon Chan will be pitching their projects. All selections will be able to contest for six awards, totalling an amassed $410,000 in cash, and $200,000 worth of services. The awards will be announced and presented in conjunction with FILMART's 10th Anniversary Celebration on March 22.