Hong Kong films vie for honours in Asian Film Awards
A film produced jointly by Hong Kong and mainland companies has been nominated for five awards at the prestigious Asian Film Awards next month, but the production was not in the running for best film, the highest cinema honour in Asia.
A film produced jointly by Hong Kong and mainland companies has been nominated for five awards at the prestigious Asian Film Awards next month, but the production was not in the running for best film, the highest cinema honour in Asia.
In fact, no Hong Kong-made film was nominated for the top award this year.
Hongkonger Ann Hui On-wah was nominated for best director for , a biopic of Republic period novellist Xiao Hong produced by Hong Kong's Edko Films and several mainland firms including Stellar Mega Films and China Film.
Tang Wei , who grew up on the mainland but obtained Hong Kong residency in 2009, was nominated for best actress for the role of Xiao.
Shanghai-born actor Wang Zhiwen and screenwriter Li Qiang were nominated for best supporting actor and best screenwriter, respectively.
Finally, the film was nominated for best editing, for the work of Kwong Chi-leung and Manda Wai.
The film focuses on the last decade of Xiao's life, which the writer spent in her native Manchuria, Beijing, Hong Kong and elsewhere. She died at age 30 in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong.
Local actor Sean Lau Ching-wan was nominated as best actor for playing a rural chief who fought with other chiefs for control of rural lands in the surveillance crime-thriller .
Mainland actress Zhao Wei was nominated as best actress for , another joint production of Hong Kong and mainland companies.
Ivana Wong Yuen-chi, a local singer-songwriter who played a prostitute in the movie , was nominated as best newcomer.
"I am nervous and excited at the same time … images of my time shooting the movie came rushing into my mind," Wong said yesterday.
She thanked her parents for accepting the revealing costume she had to wear.
Hongkongers Patrick Tam and Curran Pang were both nominated for the editing in .
Local sci-fi thriller was nominated for best visual effects.
Winners will be announced on March 25 in Macau. A total of 42 movies from eight regions including Japan and South Korea are competing for 14 awards.
