“Isabella”, a Hong Kong film which was featured in the Seattle International Film Festival and Hawaii International Film Festival last year has won the Best Film Award at the Orient Express Competitive Section of this year’s Oporto International Film Festival. The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco was a sponsor of the Seattle and Hawaii film festivals.

Miss Isabella Leong also won the Best Actress Award at the Director ‘s Week of the Oporto International Film Festival for her outstanding performance in the film. Miss Leong is the first Hong Kong actor who has won the Best Actress award in this film festival.

The Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr. Joseph WP Wong sent letters to the Chairman of Media Asia Group, Mr. Peter Lam, the film director, Mr. Pang Ho-cheung and Miss Isabella Leong, to congratulate them.

Mr. Wong said that the awards represented not only an honor for Hong Kong, but also an international recognition and commendation for the achievement of Hong Kong’s film industry.

He said that the Government had been greatly supporting the development of the film industry. Together with the Hong Kong Film Development Council, which would soon be set up, the Government was determined to work jointly with the film sector to scale new heights for the future development of the Hong Kong film industry. In addition, the Government had allocated US$38.46 million to help finance film production.