(From left:) Actor Aarif Lee; Director Alex Law and Producer Mabel Cheung receive the Crystal Bear award at the 60th Berlinale.

"Echoes of the Rainbow,” directed by Alex Law and produced by Mabel Cheung, won the Crystal Bear for Best Feature Film in the Generation section of the 60th Berlinale 2010 on February 20.  This marks the first time a Hong Kong film has won the award.

Offering her congratulations to the movie’s production crew, Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau said, “The success of the film demonstrates the strength of Hong Kong film makers.

“The Government will continue to support the film sector — the flagship of our creative industries — through the Create Hong Kong office and the Film Development Council.”

A total of 14 films competed for the Crystal Bear award this year.  The Generation section of Berlinale is designed for children and youth, and aims to increase, through film, cultural understanding among younger generations.  Jury members are directly recruited from young audiences, selected from those who fill out a questionnaire soliciting the opinion of filmgoers in the Generation section.  Every year, some 2,500 young filmgoers happily take on this offer.

In addition to thanking their production team and cast when receiving the award, Director Alex Law and Producer Mabel Cheung also expressed their appreciation to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG), particularly the Film Development Fund, for its support in the production of “Echoes of the Rainbow” in Hong Kong.  

The movie is one of the productions supported by the Film Development Fund under the auspices of the Commerce & Economic Development Bureau.  

Hong Kong’s cultural and creative industry is one of the six priority industries promoted by the HKSARG, which has established a Film Services Office to promote Hong Kong films and support film productions, as well as to provide one-stop and free services to filmmakers who choose Hong Kong as a filming location.  The HKSARG has allocated US$38.46 million to the Film Development Fund to provide financial support for the production of small-to-medium budget films, and to finance projects that are beneficial to the long-term development of the film industry.  

Besides “Echoes of the Rainbow,” three other Hong Kong movies were screened at the 60th Berlinale this year: “Amphetamine,” “True Legend” and “Little Big Soldier.”