In his latest budget speech, Financial Secretary (FS) John Tsang Chun-wah gave a much-needed boost to the demoralized local movie industry by affirming its potential to regain its former glory.

He did not have to wait long to see some proof that he was right. The success of the Hong Kong-produced movie, The Mermaid, at the box office on the mainland during the spring break has shown that indigenous creativity still has a market beyond the confines of the city.

To be sure, elements of the movie were adapted to appeal to a mainland audience. But the creative talents behind the film are mostly local people. Its success is a shot in the arm which hopefully can energize the moribund movie industry which has for too many years been mired in self-doubt.

Indeed, many industry insiders have written off movie-making in Hong Kong as a pointless endeavor which has no hope of yielding any meaningful returns in a highly limited marketplace. Many directors, actors and actresses have signed up with mainland studios which are known to be willing to pay big money to entice Hong Kong movie stars.

Tsang, a self-confessed Cantopop buff with a penchant for citing relevant verses from the lyrics of Cantonese pop songs at the end of his budget speeches, obviously disagrees. Proposing to invest public funds in support of the movie industry, Tsang made a good point in his latest budget speech. He noted that there is a potential market of 100 million Cantonese-speaking people in Guangdong province for Hong Kong-produced movies.

The Mermaid has shown the way to appeal to movie-goers in that market by adapting to their tastes and preferences without losing the unique Hong Kong touch. Director Stephen Chow, who is the city's most popular comedian on film (but does not star in his latest project), has succeeded in doing this. His crazy mermaid adventure has mesmerized the mainland movie crowds. It has become the biggest box office hit in history.

It just shows the doubters that the Hong Kong movie industry is very much alive and kicking.

(HK Edition 03/04/2016 page8)