Fred Tsui Named Executive Director of HKIFF Society

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society has appointed Fred Tsui, founder and CEO of Moebius Entertainment, as its new executive director, the organization said Friday.

Tsui succeeds Albert Lee and assumes the role Sept. 23, reporting to HKIFFS chair Dr. Wilfred Wong and the board.

In the new post, Tsui will oversee the society’s full range of initiatives: its marquee event, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, along with the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum and its HAF Film Lab, the Summer International Film Festival and the HKIFF Cine Fan strand.

Tsui arrives with more than 30 years of experience touching nearly every corner of the business, including distribution, financing, broadcasting, exhibition and media operations alongside international sales and co-production. That range has connected him with filmmakers, financiers, distributors, exhibitors, sales agents and festival programmers across Asia, Europe and North America.

He currently runs Moebius Entertainment as founder and chief executive, having built the outfit into a respected international sales agency for celebrated Asian titles. Under his watch, the company has crafted global sales strategies, lined up distribution deals across major territories and steered festival campaigns for award-winning films.

The appointment lands amid an active stretch for Moebius: the company recently boarded worldwide sales for Michelle Zhou’s debut feature “Big Little Things,” selected for the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival, and picked up sales rights outside Taiwan to Fiona Roan Feng-i’s “Happily Ever After,” set to premiere in the Toronto Film Festival’s Special Presentations section.

Before launching Moebius, Tsui spent more than two decades at Media Asia Film, eventually taking charge of the studio’s international sales and co-production division as general manager. In that post, he helped extend one of Hong Kong’s major studios onto the world stage, running its global sales operation and striking co-production deals that boosted Hong Kong cinema’s international profile.

Earlier in his career, Tsui held senior roles at PCCW and Asia Television, gaining experience in organizational leadership, media operations, strategic thinking and content oversight.

Outside the executive suite, Tsui is also known as a film critic and has sat on juries at festivals including those in Hong Kong, Edinburgh, Jecheon, Tallinn, Seattle, Udine, Sitges, Sonoma and Skip City in Japan. He also sits on the Hong Kong Film Development Council.

He also belongs to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and the Hong Kong Film Critics Society. In past years he sat on the boards of the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) in the U.S. and the MIA International Audiovisual Market in Rome. The Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia has honored him with its Maria Honorifica Award.

“We are delighted to welcome Fred to HKIFFS,” said Wong. “Fred combines strategic leadership with an exceptional understanding of the international film landscape. Throughout his career, he has built bridges between Hong Kong cinema and the global marketplace while earning the trust and respect of filmmakers, festival directors and industry leaders worldwide. Just as importantly, he approaches cinema from the perspectives of an executive, a critic, a festival juror and a lifelong cinephile. We believe he is uniquely qualified to lead HKIFFS into its next chapter, further strengthening its role as one of Asia’s most important cultural institutions and international film platforms.”

HKIFFS operates as a nonprofit, non-governmental charity built around fostering film as art and culture, running the HAF financing forum in tandem with the festival. It launched a monthly Cine Fan repertory strand in 2013 and, in 2021, restructured its industry-facing services into HKIFF Industry, which backs non-mainstream production via co-productions, festival guidance and international distribution under the HKIFF Collection label.

“It is a tremendous honor to join HKIFFS, an institution that has played such a pivotal role in the cultural life of Hong Kong and in promoting Asian cinema internationally,” said Tsui. “Having worked with film festivals throughout my career – as a sales executive, producer, juror, critic and audience member – I have seen first-hand the unique role HKIFF plays in connecting filmmakers, the industry and audiences. I look forward to working with the board, our partners and the HKIFFS team to build on the society’s remarkable legacy while broadening its international reach, nurturing new talent, deepening audience engagement and ensuring Hong Kong remains at the forefront of global film culture.”