[2023.04.18] SEAN LAU IS HAPPY TO SEE HONG KONG FILM BACK IN ACTION

DETECTIVE VS. SLEUTHS' Best Director Wai Ka Fai, boss Albert Yeung and Best Actor Sean Lau celebrate
courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

The 41st Hong Kong Film Awards took place two nights ago. Sean Lau Ching Wan won Best Actor for the three time, and Sammi Cheng Sau Man finally got a taste of Best Actress and broke down in tears. DETECTIVE VS. SLEUTHS (SUN TAM DAI JIN) with four awards became the film with the most awards. Among them Wai Ka Fai won Best Director but lost Best film to TO MY NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD SELF (CUP SUP GAU SHUI DIK NGOR) amidst controversy. No matter how the awards turned out, as the Hong Kong Film Awards president Derek Yee Tung Sing said, the Hong Kong Film Awards Board of Directors was only an organization that serviced the film industry. After 41 years it truly was an industry award, without any arbitration authority. Thus this time the results confirmed the voters' will. He as the association president had no stance, the association would not interfere with any result. Many film companies also had a joint celebration after the Hong Kong Film Awards, with many winners in attendance.

Two nights ago the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards took place and all the awards have been presented. Many film companies also held a joint celebration. The fresh out of the oven Best Actor Lau Ching Wan and Best Actress Cheng Sau Man held their awards with excitement and talked about their victories. Also on hand was Louis Koo Tin Lok and his WARRIORS OF FUTURE (MING YUT JIN GEI) team, boss Albert Yeung Sau Sing and Best Director Wai Ka Fai, Best Actor Lau Ching Wan's DETECTIVE VS. SLEUTHS team, the Best Actress Cheng Sau Man and her LOST LOVE (LAU SHUI LOK FA) team, and the Best Supporting Actress Ivana Wong Yuen Chi, MIRROR's Edan Lui Cheuk On, Jer Lau Ying Ting, Keung To and captain Lokman Yeung; TO MY NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD SELF held another celebration. One of the directors Kwok Wai Lun and the team after the celebration posed for a photo outside but declined any interview. He still has not explained his heavily criticized comment, "shoot it, edit it then worry, release it then worry about it". Director Mabel Cheung Yuen Ting attended neither the Awards nor the celebration.

Changed in a fiery red look for the celebration, Sammi hug Candy Yu On On out of excitement as soon as she saw her. She admitted that her award emotions still have not settled. She was emotional because this journey has not been easy. Through her award she hoped to be able to remind people with dreams to persist and not give up so easily.

Winning her first Hong Kong Film Award Best Actress, Sammi said that in the past three awards felt very meaningful. She said, "The first time was at New Talent, the second time was the first time I won the radio station's Most Favorite Female Singer and Song Gold Prize because they were very hard to win. The other one is this." Sammi at the same time won the Best Original Film Song. She said that she never thought about it before and praised the other nominees for their great performance, for example Keung to and Ivana Wong Yuen Chi's songs were very suitable for their films.

On the award stage, Sammi said that switching from comedy to drama was very hard. Would she no longer work on comedies? She said, "I wouldn't mind. I feel it's hard because my singer image is very heavy. Even in just a white tee people still feel I am very Sammi, so it's harder than harder. However I hope viewers would put down this baggage and treat me like an ordinary actor. Viewers would naturally feel a good performance. I feel this time has broken through many viewers' existing impression of me. I am very happy."

As for whether she would get a raise after winning Best Actress, Sammi whined that when she took LOST LOVE (LAU SHUI LOK FA) she did not take a salary. She said, "I would start with the script. I would also support new directors. I feel taking the salary for production budget would be even better, this way everyone would benefit."

Reaching the top of music and film, Sammi was asked would her next goal be television or stage performance? She said, "With a good script I wouldn't mind making them. (Making a series would be very tough?) Anything can be tough, but as long as I get ample time to rest, now I am old they would have to accommodate a little." As for her good partner Andy Lau Tak Wa presenting the award to her, Sammi said that with a good subject she too would like to work with him again. She also said that this time winning with Lau Ching Wan she reminded of working together on MY LEFT EYE SEES GHOSTS (NGOR JOR NGAN GEIN DOH GWAI). When Sammi heard that Ching Wan praised her as a good actor, she was so excited she went up against the wall. "Really?" She said that she was very moved to get his compliment, because Ching Wan was publicly recognized to have super acting skills. It was a great encouragement. If she would be able to work with Ching Wan again, she would be willing to take a little less salary.

The three time Best Actor Sean Lau Ching Wan said that the feeling has not been too different from the previous awards, instead he was happy to see the new look of Hong Kong Film Awards because it had a great team. At the same time he also saw many new actors, new directors, the entire industry had a lot of motion and he deeply believed it was the beginning of a new era. It would not be without successors like before. Has Ching Wan thought about making the jump to Hollywood like Yeung Chi King and challenge the Oscars? He said, "I haven't thought too far ahead, I am already very happy with making Hong Kong films. I just congratulated her. She did something that was very amazing, for real it's no joke. It's not easy to go there, she also represented never giving up."

As for accepting the award from buddy Francis Ng Chun Yu, who the Best Actor Awards always seemed to just pass him by, Ching Wan said, "He was the earliest among us to win the Golden Horse Awards. He was outstanding in that he was able to joke about this. I have worked with him on many movies. He absolutely deserved to win. He is a good actor, only a little strange as a person, haha." Ching Wan revealed that he and Chun Yu would again work together, saying that as actors and friends everyone would give their all to the performance. They would not hold back out of courtesy. As for whether he would have opportunities to work with other friends, Ching Wan joked, "It's a little difficult, the role distribution would be quite a bother because no one would be courteous. We also have to find a director to keep us under control."