HONG KONG -- Today the HK film scene is cleaner and more straightforward than it was 15 or 20 years ago -- and considerably smaller, too.

Where once triad groups openly disrupted film shoots and extorted money from crews on the streets, the underworld is now more likely to be onscreen. They were able to run riot because the Hong Kong industry was booming and resources -- stars and equipment -- were in limited supply.

As the popularity of Hong Kong cinema waned, so too did the interest of the gangsters. Protest marches by stars in 1991 and 1992 also made it clear that the outlaws weren't welcome.

Since then, corporations have moved in and the territory's filmmakers have discovered the joys of stock market flotation and incorporation. Most listed film companies cleverly keep their legal seat of business somewhere in the Caribbean and then raise coin from the stock market nearer to home.

But the relations between lowly capitalized film shingles, often unable to deliver streams of predictable and steadily growing profits, and demanding stock market investors have rarely been easy. Media Asia, for instance, backed off from a Hong Kong listing, went to Singapore instead and last year took itself private again under the wing of Peter Lam's larger property and textile interests.

But even as the scene has become more corporate, the Hong Kong movie business is not without color.

There's a whole world of movers and shakers behind the public showbiz faces.

Li Ka-shing

The reclusive Li Ka-shing last year lost the title of Asia's richest man when steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal overtook him. According to Forbes, however, he saw the value of his holdings climb from $22 billion to $32 billion. And while "KS Li" is better known for his interests in telecoms, property, ports, utilities and retailing, his holdings in media could qualify him for mogul status.

Highest profile is Li's 37% interest in Tom Group, a Hong Kong-listed media company spanning the Tom.com Internet portal in mainland China, Mandarin-language broadcaster CETV, outdoor advertising and magazine publishing.

Li's Hutchison and Cheung Kong groups also control Metro Radio, one of only three companies to hold full radio broadcast licenses in Hong Kong.

In 2004, through Tom, Li bought a 27% stake in Huayi Brothers, China's leading privately controlled film company, producer of "Assembly" and "Cellphone." (That stake has since been sold.)

More recently, Li last year paid $6.5 million to become the second-largest shareholder in GDC Technology, one of the world's top digital cinema tech suppliers.

Nonetheless, Li's investments in media have often given the appearance of being motivated by friendship -- especially given the relatively small amount of money invested -- rather than an overall media strategy. He bought into Golden Harvest, the former production powerhouse that now concentrates on exhibition, from affection for founder Raymond Chow and recently followed Chow out the door when production house Chengtian bought up Chow's stake. But lately there have been hints that he may be trying to tie things together.

In December he used $60 million from his charitable foundation to buy a 0.4% stake in Facebook. That and a $100 million investment alongside Disney in the creation of NBA China quickly led to speculation that these would be used to leverage Tom.com.

Li is also father of Richard Li, the biggest shareholder in telecoms to IPTV group PCCW, though there is little sign of the two working together.

Jackie Chan

While his wealth doesn't approach the billions of Li Ka-shing, the action star is one of the richest men in the business. That comes not only from an unusual ability to maintain parallel Hollywood and Hong Kong careers but also a good business brain and an even more astute sense of his brand value.

Chan accumulated significant stakes in competing studios Media Asia, Emperor and Golden Harvest, and at one stage appeared to be booked up as an actor in their projects for years ahead. Now he applies the leverage that he enjoys as the most bankable star in Asia more judiciously, getting other people's films greenlighted and controlling his own destiny.

He has reduced the Golden Harvest interest and recently sold his half of talent management shop Artiste Colony to joint-venture partner Media Asia. These days he mostly works with Emperor, either through his JCE joint venture with Emperor's owner Albert Yeung or through projects pitched by his other stable, JC Group.

Chan recently separated his film activities from his multiple nonfilm ones, causing speculation about relations with longtime partners Willie Chan (no relation) and Solon So. He also carefully keeps his China interests separate from those elsewhere.

The Chan brand is used on two different levels. He monetizes his famous face for Visa, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, gym chain California Fitness and George Foreman's grill, but also is an investor in businesses that are (somewhat) less obviously connected to his muscular movie image. These range from Jackie's Java Co. coffee stores (a partnership with Pennsylvania's Hometown Coffees) in China and the Philippines to the recently sold restaurant chain that bore his name and to his own leisure clothing lines and environmental products.

Colleagues say Chan's long-standing interest in environmental products stems from childhood poverty and an abhorrence of waste. These have taken him into water treatment projects and investments in electric vehicles group Segway. On top of these interests are multiple charitable projects ranging from performing arts scholarships to building schools in China.

Kadokawa and Avex

"Are the Japanese taking over?" some Hong Kong folk ask. Hyberbole, yes, but Japan's Kadokawa did buy a controlling stake in Intercontinental, the vertically integrated exhibition, distribution and video group that handles Disney and Paramount titles in Hong Kong, and Nippon music and talent management group Avex is building its own pan-Asian film operations from scratch -- it chose to set up shop in Hong Kong because of the access to mainland China.

Both groups are working simultaneously on multiple business levels: Kadokawa recently launched its Walker group of magazines in Hong Kong, while Avex is not only investing in individual movie titles but also mainland talent and production house Chengtian.

That company has, in turn, bought up founder Raymond Chow's stake in Golden Harvest. Headed by Chinese businessman Wu Kebo, Chengtian has quickly set about changing Golden Harvest's management and sold off its remaining Malaysian cinemas. Question on the lips of many Hong Kong bizzers is: Is Wu acting alone, or is he a proxy for Avex?

Eric Tsang

A former soccer player, Eric Tsang moved into film in 1976 as a stuntman before becoming a TVB star presenter and later one of the most recognizable faces in Hong Kong. He still has a nice sideline as a host at receptions and banquets. With a breathless, high-pitched voice and the ability to light up a room with a cheeky megawatt smile, Tsang is best known as one of film's funnymen, but he is also a leading producer through his companies United Filmmakers Organization (UFO) and Black and White. These may back his own films but are more influential as incubators of new talent in front of and behind the camera. Tsang is widely credited with discovering Pang Ho-cheung ("Exodus," "Isabella") and Wong Ching-Po ("Jiang Hu," "Mob Sister") among others.

UFO recently produced the big-budget costumer "An Empress and the Warriors" that stars Donnie Yen. The Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival is giving world preem to "Winds of September," a three-feature series Tsang produced about societal change in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, as part of a tribute to the producer.

© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bookmark with..

Comments (0)

Write comment

This content has been locked. You can no longer post any comment.

There is a problem with the comment system, or you do not have javascript enabled.