New | Stars glitter on red carpet for all-new Asian Film Awards in Macau

Filmmakers from around the region have high expectations of the born-again Asian Film Awards being held in Macau tonight, hoping the event will promote and unify the now diverse Asian cinema.

The awards, which take place for the eighth time tonight, are organised by a newly established Asian Film Awards Academy formed by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival in South Korea and Japan’s Tokyo International Film Festival.

Japanese filmmakers said they were delighted to see their country’s involvement. Fumitsugu Ikeda, a producer of The Great Passage, which is competing for best film, best supporting actor and best screenwriter, said the cinema world has entered a new era and the Japanese population was shrinking. He said Japan should not just be doing its own things but should be reaching out to co-produce projects with others.

Watch: Stars hit Asian Film Awards red carpet

Tokyo Family’s producer Hiroshi Fukasawa said most Japanese films were launched only in Japan in the past. “It’s time for us to go hand in hand and face the world together,” he said.