'Descendants of Sun' biggest attraction at Hong Kong expo
Visitors gather at the Korean pavilion of the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-heun
By Kim Jae-heun
HONG KONG ― “Descendants of the Sun,” a megahit drama currently being aired on KBS, is attracting big buyers at the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, which runs until Thursday.
“The drama series has aired its 6th episode in both Korea and China now and its broadcast rights in Japan and China have been sold already, but many buyers are still very interested in the show,” said a KBS official at the booth in the national pavilion organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), who added that visitors have been taking pictures next to an ad for the drama and asking if they can buy posters.
“Apparently, Song Joong-ki’s role is key for the popularity of the drama series, who already became known abroad with his previous KBS melodrama The Innocent Man. But, Descendants of the Sun established him as a star,” said the official.
The 16-episode drama series was pre-produced before broadcast, partly with investments by a Chinese company. Malaysia and Thailand are still in the process of buying the show’s broadcast rights.
KOCCA selected 22 entertainment companies at FILMART’s national pavilion, focusing on Chinese buyers as well as Southeast Asia.
“We are now participating in 10 entertainment markets, which all have distinguished characteristics, but Chinese buyers are the main focus here,” said Cho Moon-haeng, deputy director of the Broadcasting & Advertising Division at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST). “Mainland China is the biggest market for us followed by Japan and Southeast Asia.
“Korean shows see some chances with the situation improving in the Japanese market but we will have to see, and Southeast Asian markets of Indonesia and Thailand have been growing steadily,” the deputy director said.
Cho agreed that TV dramas are without a doubt the main driving force of Korean content exports but said unique programming channels such as Happy Dog and Mountain TV target niche markets and they have high potential for success.
Happy Dog is a 24-hour TV channel for domestic pets to watch while home alone, and Mountain TV features mountaineers.
“We think the Southeast Asian market is very important,” Cho said, adding that KOCCA will open an Indonesia office in October to promote the cultural content industry including that of broadcasting, music, game and animiation in the local market as well as in neighboring countries. The agency will also hold shocases relating to business matchings between the Korean and Southeast Asian companies.
Korea Film Council (KOFIC), another MCST supported and self-administered organization, invited a total 27 movie-related firms to participate in the Hong Kong entertainment market.
“FILMART is a good opportunity to promote Korean movies as it is held in the first half of the year,” the KOFIC assistant manager said. “The event takes place before France’s Cannes Film Festival and after Germany’s Berlin International Film Festival, which gives time to improve on faults and present a better prepared lineup for promotions in the second half.
“Also Hong Kong is close to Korea, which provides location convenience and a lot of Chinese cinema VIPs participate here. The event is a good chance to create a cost-effective outcome since the Chinese market is enormous.”
Korean booths grabbed the attention of Chinese and Southeast Asian buyers with posters of popular actors including Lee Min-ho and Hyun Bin.
“Movies starring popular Korean celebrities in China sell very well,” said the KOFIC official. “When a movie is directed by a Chinese filmmaker or stars popular Korean actors, Chinese buyers purchase the broadcast rights without hesitation.”
FILMART, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is one of the major events of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong. It is recognized as Asia’s largest film and TV marketplace facilitating important deals in film financing, distribution, production and post-production. The event also promotes cross-media and cross-sector collaboration. It gathers participants from over 30 countries including Korea, China, the U.S., U.K., France and Germany.