'Let the Bullets Fly' shoots for six film awards
Action comedy Let the Bullets Fly leads the pack at this year's Asian Film Awards in a big year for Hong Kong-mainland collaborations.
It has six nominations, two of them for performances by Hong Kong actors.
Chow Yun-fat is up for the best actor award for his turn as gangster Huang. And his co-star Carina Lau Kar-ling will compete with women in Japanese, Indonesian and South Korean films for the best supporting actress honour.
Awards organiser the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society announced the nominees in 14 categories yesterday.
Other big budget mainland-Hong Kong co-productions nominated include Sammo Hung Kam-Po for best supporting actor in Ip Man 2 and Michelle Yeoh for best actress in Reign of Assassins, in which Taiwan collaborated.
Japanese filmmaker Tetsuya Nakashima's Confessions received five nominations, including best film and best director. The film has also made the shortlist for a best foreign language film nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards.
Special effects producer Phil Jones competes against himself for best visual effects, having worked on both Aftershock, one of this year's mainland blockbuster hits, and Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, which has two other nominations in production and costume design.
Independent Hong Kong films were given several nods. Director Pang Ho-cheung and co-writer Heiward Mak are nominated for best screenplay for Love in a Puff, the low-budget love story starring Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue.
Aarif Lee Chi-ting is nominated for best newcomer for his role as Desmond Law in 1960s drama Echoes of the Rainbow. Police action-thriller The Stool Pigeon is in the running for best cinematography.
This year, the jury will be chaired by Yonfan, director of the 2009 film Prince of Tears.
Wilfred Wong Ying-wai, chairman of the international film society, said: 'The mainland boom is undeniable. Japan is enjoying a recent revival, South Korea continues to go strong. And Hong Kong is finally climbing out of the abyss.'
The Asian Film Awards will be held on March 21 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The 35th Hong Kong International Film Festival will run from March 20 to April 5.
