[2010.04.17] NICK CHEUNG KA FAI SUPPORTS OVERHEARD'S OVERWHELMING VICTORY

courtesy of singtao.com

The 29th Annual Hong Kong Film Award will take place tomorrow at the Cultural Center. On day two of the countdown major award predictions have become the talk of the town. After analyzing the Best Supporting Actor/Actress, "Best Actor, Best Actress" and other categories, now it is "Best Director"'s turn. From the industry and outside reaction, BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS (SUP YUET WAI SING)'s Teddy Chan Tak Sum and OVERHEARD (SIT TING FUNG WON)'s Alan Mak Siu Fai and Felix Chong Man Keung are the favorites!

This year's Hong Kong Film Award Best Director nominees are BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS' Chan Tak Sum, NIGHT AND FOG (TIN SHUI WAI DIK YEH YU MO)'s Ann Hui On Wa, RED CLIFF II (CHET BIK KUET JIN TIN HA)'s John Woo (Ng Yu Sum), OVERHEARD's Mak Siu Fai and Chong Man Keung and SHINJUKU INCIDENT (SUN SHOOK SI GEIN)'s Derek Yee Tung Sing. Aside from Chan Tak Sum all the nominees have won Best Director before.

Chan Tak Sum and Ng Yu Sum both directed large scale productions, for which the director's ability to grasp large scale productions are studied. The films of Yee Tung Sing and the Mak and Chong team are also considered larger productions, in comparison Hui On Wa's belongs to lower budget films.

Earlier at the Hong Kong Film Director Guild's 20th anniversary Spring Banquet, the Most Outstanding Director Awards went to Alex Law Kai Yui, Chan Tak Sum, Mak Siu Fai and Chong Man Keung. Among them Law Kai Yui did not receive a Hong Kong Film Award Best Director nomination. According to the Hong Kong Film Award election rules, the Hong Kong Film Director Guild occupies 25%, Hong Kong Film Award's remaining affiliated organizations and Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong occupies 25% and the second round 50 professional adjudicators occupy 50%. On certain level 1/4 votes will go to Chan Tak Sum and the Mak Siu Fai and Chong Man Keung team. Thus Chan Tak Sum and the Mak and Chong team are the favorites.

BODYGUARDS is a painstaking film that Chan Tak Sum has prepared for years. Its screenplay, actor performances, off screen creations and others are full of sincerity among Hong Kong films. It also has the united cooperation and support of Hong Kong film professionals Peter Chan Ho Sun, Donnie Yen Chi tan, Andrew Lau Wai Keung and others. OVERHEARD's Mak Siu Fai and Chong Man Keung are very mature with every aspect, from LADY COP AND PAPA CROOK (DAI SAU CHA ji NUI) to OVERHEARD this director team's improvement can be seen.

Last year's Best Actor Nick Cheung Ka Fai is at ease this year, as a sideline observer he feels Mak Siu Fai and Chong Man Keung are his Best Director choices. He says, "They have always been Hong Kong mainstream film directors. This time the subject is fresh, the film's pace is handled very well and very able to attract the audience." Last year's Best Supporting Actor Liu Kai Chi also picks Mak Siu Fai and Chong Man Keung and says, "He feels Mak Siu Fai and Chong Man Keung in OVERHEARD handle the pace very well, very different in style from before. The subject is unique enough, a rare find in Hong Kong."

In addition, C'EST LA VIE MON CHERI (SUN BUT LIU CHING) and ONE NITE IN MONGKOK (WONG GOK HAK YEH)'s two time Best Director Yee Tung Sing states that this year he and his film are the also-ran. Last year's THE WAY WE ARE (TIN SHUI WAI DIK YUT YU YEH) Best Director Hui On Wa honestly says that this year she is not dreaming about "repeating". The Hong Kong Film Awards has never had any director who has won the Best Director prize two years in a row. however, last year's Best Actress, the Hui On Wa directed THE WAY WE ARE's Paw Hee Ching, picks Hui On Wa to "repeat". She says, "Ann is my choice. Last year's THE WAY WE ARE and this year's NIGHT AND FOG are both her work of sincerity and good movies with caliber."