CineAsia, the exhibitors’ trade show and conference, got under way in Hong Kong yesterday. As well as covering all manner of technical aspects of exhibition, it also oofers preview screenings of US and Asian fare and passes out the occasional gong at its closing banquet, one of which provides the starting point on a journey that leads all the way to a meeting reported as part of the ongoing WikiLeaks release.
The CineAsia event can be a rather dry affair with seminars on subjects such as increasing revenue streams, in-theatre marketing and cinema design. It doesn’t sit at the sexy end of the industry, which is increasingly important in Asia where celebrity culture has been embraced wholeheartedly. So, for many years, CineAsia has presented a number of awards at its closing bash to help increase its profile. Amongst the exhibition-focused awards, Actress of the Decade award pops up on the programme this year.
