[2023.01.07] TONY LEUNG CHIU WAI RECEIVES THE ASIAN FILM AWARDS BEST ACTOR NOMINATION

Both Tang Wei and Sylvia Chang have won Best Actress awards before

Having won Best Actor with LUST, CAUTION, Tony Leung Chiu Wai is nominated again

Lin Minchen

Chrissie Chau

Angela Yuen, Chrissie Chau and Ling Man Lung are guests 

Tang Wei, director Park Chan-woon and Lee Hae-il's DECISION TO LEAVE receives 10 nominations

Lin Minchen will spend the Lunar New Year at home in Malaysia
courtesy of singtao.com

DECISION TO LEAVE's Tang Wei

A LIGHT NEVER GOES OUT's Sylvia Chang

AMERCIAN GIRL's Karena Lam

WHERE THE WIND BLOWS' Tony Leung Chiu Wai

DEICISON TO LEAVE's Lee Hae-il

DRIVE MY CAR's Nishijima Hidetoshi

THE SPARRING PARTNER's Mak Pui Tung and ANITA's Louise Wong are Best Newcomer nominees

Mabel Cheung reveals that she is raising financing for her new film

The 16th Asian Film Awards with the support of Create Hong Kong and the Film Development Fund has been scheduled to take place on March 12th at the Hong Kong Palace Museum's Hong Kong Jockeys' Club Lecture Hall. At the press conference yesterday, director Mabel Cheung Yuen Ting, actors Chrissie Chau Sau Na, Ling Man Lung, Angela Yuen Lai Lam, this year's youth ambassador Lin Minchen and other guests announced the nominations. The event even announced that last year's Asian Film Award Best Director Zhang Yimou would serve as this year's award jury chair. Director Zhang Yimou said in a video, "Asian film is traveling on a road that values both art and commerce, the ability to enjoy both the elegant and the conventional is the goal that we are all pursuing." DECISION TO LEAVE led this year's Asian Film Awards nominations with 10. Tony Leung Chiu Wai would vie for Best Actor against Zhang Yi, Park Hae-il, Nishijima Hidetoshi and others. Yuen Lai Lam's pick Sylvia Chang would have to compete against Karena Lam Ka Yun, Tang Wei and others.

This year 30 films from 22 nations and regions were nominated in 16 categories. Among them the Korean director Park Chan-wook directed, Tang Wei starred DECISION TO LEAVE received 10 nominations to become this year's most nominated film; the Nishijima Hidetoshi starred DRIVE MY CAR received 8 nominations that included Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor; India's PONNIYIN SELVAN: PART I received 6 nominations included Best Film. Breaking the Hong Kong highest box office record, the science fiction action film WARRIORS OF FUTURE (MING YUT JIN GEI) only received the Best Visual Effects nomination.

This year's Best Film nominees included DECISION TO LEAVE (Korea), DRIVE MY CAR (Japan), POET (Kazakhstan), PONNIYIN SELVA: PART I (Indian), and WHEN THE WAVES ARE GONE (The Philippines, France, Portugal, Denmark). No Hong Kong film was nominated, but among the 5 nominated Hong Kong films, WHERE THE WIND BLOWS received 3 nominations that included Tony Leung Chiu Wai for Best Actor, Michael Hui Koon Man for Best Supporting Actor, Bill Lui Chor Hung and Andrew Wong Man Hin for Best Production Design.

Wai Jai has been nominated twice for the Asian Film Award Best Actor, and with LUST, CAUTION (SIK, GAI) won Asian Best Actor. This year Wai Jai would compete against HOME COMING's Zhang Yi, DECISION TO LEAVE's Park Hae-il, DRIVE MY CAR's Nishijima Hidetoshi, EGOIST's Suzuki Ryohei, and WORLD WAR III's Mohsen Tanabandeh.

Wai Jai said about his Best Actor nomination, "First thank you very much everyone for your support and encouragement. I am very happy to be nominated for the Asian Film Award Best Actor again. As a Hong Kong actor, to be able to be on the same list as such excellent actors from Asia, I feel very honored."

Michael Hui Koon man said, "WHERE THE WIND BLOWS received many nominations, congratulations! Making a movie now is very hard. I am very happy to participate and help out, to contribute an effort to young film workers and Hong Kong films!"

The winner of the 12th Asian Film Award Best Actress, Sylvia Chang with her outstanding performance in A LIGHT NEVER GOES OUT (DUN FOR LAN SHAN) was again nominated for Best Actress with AMERICAN GIRL's Karena Lam Ka Yun, BEFORE, NOW AND THEN's Happy Salma, DECISION TO LEAVE's Tang Wei and PLAN 75's Baisho Chieko.

In addition ANITA also received three nominations, including Louise Wong Dan Nei for Best Newcomer. Mak Pui Tung with THE SPARRING PARTNER (JING YI WUI LONG) was also nominated in the same category, with BROKER'S Lee Ji-eun (IU), LIGHTING UP THE STARS' Yang Enyou and RETURN TO SEOUL's Park Ji-min.

Mabel Cheung Yuen Ting yesterday attended the Asian Film Award press conference as a guest. She said that among the nominations, some Asian films have been distributed to Hong Kong but she has seen none of them. Yesterday she was responsible for announcing the Best New Director and the Best Director Award nominations. Unfortunately neither had any Hong Kong director's name.

As the pandemic gradually passed, the Asian Film Awards also returned to Hong Kong. Cheung Yuen Ting said that last year the Hong Kong film industry had good performance and climax. "Now several tens of millions at the box office seem very easy, previously being able to get several million you already felt like you got rich. However I am the happiest to watch the movies that new directors made are quality. I hope this year they would continue and prove Hong Kong viewers like to watch Hong Kong films.

As the pandemic gradually passed, the Asian Film Awards also returned to Hong Kong. Cheung Yuen Ting said that last year Hong Kong film had a good performance and a climax. "Now several tens of millions at the box office seems to be very easy to get, before after getting several million you already felt like you were rich. However I am the happiest to see that new director made quality films. I hope this year they would be able to continue and prove that Hong Kong viewers like to watch Hong Kong films. Before my friends all pretended to be high brow and said that they would not watch Hong Kong films, but now seemingly everyone are supporting them, would cherish this place of Hong Kong, cherish the valuable people and the cultural heritage." She too hoped that the film market would continue to thrive, then she would be able to raise even more money for productions.

Mabel Cheung Yuen Ting also has a new project. She revealed that she was planning a Qing Dynasty background SUP GOR HOK YI DIK SIU NIN (TEN YOUNG MEDICAL STUDENTS). Because it would shoot in Hong Kong, she hoped that she would be able to shoot on location at the Hong Kong University because its predecessor was a medical school.

Angela Yuen Lai Lam picked Sylvia Chang to win Best Actress because last year she and Sister Chang played mother and daughter in a movie. Sister Chang is her idol and she appreciates Sister Chang's passion for art and film. In addition she also praised Karena Lam Ka Yun's outstanding acting, her portrayal of a rebellious girl in JULY RHAPSODY (NAM YUN SEI SUP) was unforgettable for her.

Lin Minchen in a few days would complete all of her jobs and she would be able to spend the Lunar New Year back home in Malaysia. She said that finally she could go without quarantine. "During the pandemic I have been in quarantine 13 times, many of which were 21 days. So now the feeling is very different, going home feels very rare." This time she would spend for three weeks and she would bring a lot of red pockets for her relatives. "Giving a red pocket definitely is the most sincere. Although it is very light, people who get it are very happy!"

THE 16TH ASIAN FILM AWARDS