Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (second left, second row) and Peng Qinghua (third left, second row), secretary of the Communist Party of China Sichuan Provincial Committee, witness the signing of bilateral cooperation pacts between Hong Kong and Sichuan during the Sichuan-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation Week on Wednesday. Parker Zheng / China Daily

Movie industry representatives from Hong Kong and Sichuan province signed a key cooperation agreement on Wednesday to lift the sector's development and foster talents.

The Memorandum of Cooperation for Sichuan-Hong Kong Film Industry Development, inked between the Association for Betterment of Hong Kong's Entertainment Industry in Mainland China (HKEMC) and Sichuan's Emei Film Group - one of the nation's seven film groups and also the largest film and television group in Southwest China - is among a string of collaboration pacts sealed or are in the pipeline between Hong Kong and the province during the 2018 Hong Kong-Macao-Sichuan Cooperation Week which started on Wednesday.

World-renowned movie star Jackie Chan, chairman of the HKEMC, said the memorandum will deepen collaboration between the two places in filmmaking projects and offer help for Hong Kong actors on the mainland.

Under the accord, both sides agreed to work together on a number of movies with stylish Chinese themes and Sichuan's uniqueness.

The HKEMC will also invite representatives of Sichuan's filmmaking sector to Hong Kong's international film exhibitions to help in the global promotion of the province's movies. Sichuan, on its part, will help set up an HKEMC office in the provincial capital Chengdu to assist members of Hong Kong's film industry working in the province.

Cultivating film talents is another key part of the agreement. The HKEMC will introduce students of local universities with filmmaking-related majors to internships with Emei Film Group.

Both sides will explore ways of cooperation between universities and the film industry in student recruitment, educational resources, training and career development.

The movie business is a key sector among Hong Kong's eight creative industries. To facilitate the industry's development, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor proposed in her recent Policy Address to inject HK$1 billion into the Film Development Fund for nurturing talent, enhancing local film production, expanding the market and building audiences.

The special administrative region and the Sichuan provincial government held a cooperation conference in May this year and agreed to cooperate in 11 areas, including the Belt and Road Initiative economic and trade fronts, cultural and creative industries, as well as in innovation and technology. Collaboration in the film industry is provided for under the consensus.

Besides the movie industry, all-round collaboration between the two places will enter a new chapter, said Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Wang, who made the remarks during a meeting with Sichuan provincial Party chief Peng Qinghua on Tuesday, said the Hong Kong-Sichuan cooperation mechanism established recently marked a new starting point in the collaboration between the two places.

Moreover, various sectors in Hong Kong are seeking deeper cooperation with the mainland and integration with the nation's overall development through the BRI and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development.

The Liaison Office will continue to play its role in linking both places and making further contributions to the mutual prosperity of Hong Kong and Sichuan, said Wang.

Peng, who had worked in Hong Kong for nine years, said the Liaison Office - a facilitator of Sichuan-HK cooperation - has served as a significant channel for Hong Kong's compatriots to offer help to Sichuan in its post-earthquake reconstruction work.

He hoped the Liaison Office will continue to provide solid support for further multi-faceted collaboration between the two places.

Yang Zekun contributed to the story.

kathyzhang@chinadailyhk.com