[2013.11.30] THE GRANDMASTERS RECEIVES 9 ASIA PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL NOMINATIONS

Lollipop F will performance
courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of singtao.com

Zhang Ziyi, Tony Leung Chiu Wai

Nick Cheung

Lee Kang-Sheng

Masaharu Fukuyama

Eric Tsang, Shi Nansun
courtesy of mingpao.com

The 56th Asia Pacific Film Festival will take place on December 15 in Macau. Yesterday it announced 12 category nominations. THE GRANDMASTERS (YUT DOI JUNG SI) received the most with 9 nominations. Bong Joon-Ho's SNOWPIERCER received 7 nominations while THE LUNCHBOX received six.

Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Nick Cheung Ka Fai and Lee Kang-Sheng battled from the Golden Horse Award to the Asia Pacific Film Festival. They and LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON's Japanese star Masaharu Fukuyama will compete for Best Actor.

Fresh out of the oven Golden Horse Award Best Actress Zhang Ziyi again with THE GRANDMASTERS was nominated for Best Actress. She will compete again Mumbai film THE LUNCHBOX's Nimrat Kaur, Seoul film JUVENILE OFFENDER's Lee Jung-Hyun, Mainland film SO YOUNG's Yang Zishan. Wong Kar Wai and Tsai Ming-Liang will run into each other again for the Best Director Award, as they along with Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda will compete for the honor. Golden Horse Best Feature Film, Singapore film ILO ILO, was also nominated for Best Picture.

Asia Pacific Film Festival planning committee chair Eric Tsang Chi Wai was asked about his choices for Best Actor and Best Actress. He said, "Let's see if Wai Jai and Cheung Ka Fai will win. They both lost at the Golden Horse Award because the jury focused on art, but that doesn't mean that Asia Pacific Film Festival jury chair Shi Nansun will focus on commerce. It's really very hard to say. Masaharu Fukuyama can't be overlooked either. Among Best Actress, Zhang Ziyi of course will be the favorite but Nimrat Kaur will also have great momentum."

Jet Tone was happy about THE GRANDMASTERS' 9 nominations. The company said that the film has received many film festivals' recognition and nominations and hoped that after the Golden Horse Award it will become the big winner at the Asia Pacific Film Festival.

This year's jury will include Shi Nansun, Malaysian director Afdlin Shauki, British Film Institute's Clare Stewart, Cannes International Film Festival director's deputy Christian Jeune, Korean director Hur Jin-Ho, Sylvia Chang (Cheung Ngai Ga) and Le Vision CEO Zhang Zhao. The opening film on December 13 will be the Andy Lau Tak Wa starred FIRESTORM (FUNG BO).