Asian Film Awards 2018 nominations: Louis Koo gets best actor nod, but Hong Kong absent from best picture race, again
Hong Kong missed out on a best picture nod for the fourth year running, while Chen Kaige’s Legend of the Demon Cat garnered six nominations including best director. Read on for our complete list of nominations
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 11 January, 2018, 5:42pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 11 January, 2018, 5:46pm
Prolific Hong Kong film star Louis Koo Tin-lok earned a rare best-actor nomination for his role as an anguished father out for violent revenge in Paradox at the 12th Asian Film Awards, the organisers announced on Thursday.
But the popular actor’s admittedly deserved nod may not be enough to make up for the disappointment of his home audiences as Hong Kong cinema again comes up short for the awards’ top prize: Hong Kong films have failed to snatch a single best picture nod at the Asian Film Awards – which were first held in this city – for the fourth year in a row.
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The five nominees for best picture are Chinese writer-director Vivian Qu’s modern-day crime noir Angels Wear White; Indian comedy Newton; Korean art-house gem The Day After, one of three films Hong Sang-soo directed in 2017; Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda’s legal thriller The Third Murder ; and Youth, Feng Xiaogang’s sprawling drama about a Chinese military arts troupe who lived through the Cultural Revolution and the Sino-Vietnamese war.
Angels Wear White, The Third Murder and Youth have five nominations apiece; as does Sylvia Chang’s multigenerational relationship drama Love Education . But the surprise front-runner of the awards turns out to be Chen Kaige’s lavish supernatural murder mystery Legend of the Demon Cat , which received nods in six categories, including best director.
The nomination list surprises as much for its appreciation for popular actors (including Louis Koo) as it does for its curious snubs. Eddie Peng is recognised for his supporting role in Our Time Will Come , but his co-stars, Zhou Xun and Deanie Ip, are both notable omissions. Song Kang-ho failed to receive a best actor nod for A Taxi Driver after he essentially swept the domestic prizes in South Korea, while the Golden Horse best picture The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful is shunned in every category.
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The winners of the 2018 Asian Film Awards – which has also introduced the best new director and best action film categories – will be announced at a ceremony on March 17 at the Venetian Macao. The veteran action director Ching Siu-tung will serve as jury president of this year’s programme, which incorporates a special focus on martial arts filmmaking in Asia.
The full list of nominations are as follows: (click on film titles and names to read SCMP.com reviews and interviews)
Best film
Angels Wear White (China, France)
Newton (India)
The Day After (South Korea)
The Third Murder (Japan)
Youth (China)
Best director
Chen Kaige (Legend of the Demon Cat)
Sylvia Chang (Love Education)
Hong Sang-soo (The Day After)
Yuya Ishii (The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue)
Feng Xiaogang (Youth)
Best new director
Vivian Qu (Angels Wear White)
Anucha Boonyawatana (Malila: The Farewell Flower)
Huang Hsin-yao (The Great Buddha +)
Dong Yue (The Looming Storm)
Derek Hui (This Is Not What I Expected)
Yoshiyuki Kishi (Wilderness)
Best actor
Kim Yun-seok (1987: When the Day Comes)
Sukollawat Kanarot (Malila: The Farewell Flower)
Rajkummar Rao (Newton)
Louis Koo (Paradox)
Duan Yihong (The Looming Storm)
Best actress
Yu Aoi (Birds Without Names)
Sylvia Chang (Love Education)
Marsha Timothy (Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts)
Kim Min-hee (The Day After)
Zhou Dongyu (This Is Not What I Expected)
Best supporting actor
Yoo Hae-jin (A Taxi Driver)
Geng Le (Angels Wear White)
Tian Zhuangzhuang (Love Education)
Eddie Peng (Our Time Will Come)
Yang Ik-joon (Wilderness)
Best supporting actress
Choi Hee-seo (Anarchist from Colony)
Hana Sugisaki (Blade of the Immortal)
Kitty Zhang (Legend of the Demon Cat)
Estelle Wu (Love Education)
Suzu Hirose (The Third Murder)
Best newcomer
Zhou Meijun (Angels Wear White)
Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying (Bad Genius)
Lim Yoon-a (Confidential Assignment)
Ling Man-lung (Tomorrow Is Another Day)
Akari Kinoshita (Wilderness)
Zhong Chuxi (Youth)
Best action film
Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds
Blade of the Immortal
Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield
Paradox
Best screenplay
Anarchist from Colony
Bad Genius
Love Education
Newton
Youth
Best editing
Our Time Will Come
The King
The Third Murder
Youth
Best cinematography
Legend of the Demon Cat
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
The Fortress
The Great Buddha +
The Third Murder
Best original music
A Taxi Driver
Angels Wear White
Our Time Will Come
The Great Buddha +
Wilderness
Best costume design
Anarchist from Colony
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
Blade of the Immortal
Legend of the Demon Cat
The Thousand Faces of Dunjia
Best production design
Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds
Legend of the Demon Cat
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
The Third Murder
This Is Not What I Expected
Best visual effects
Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
Legend of the Demon Cat
mon mon mon Monsters
The Thousand Faces of Dunjia
Best sound
Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
mon mon mon Monsters
The Fortress
The Great Buddha +
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