[2025.01.16] MICHELLE WAI IS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE HONG KONG FILM CRITICS SOCIETY AWARDS

Getting married next month, Michelle Wai wore red to attend the Lunar New Year activity

Hedwig Tam with MONTAGES OF A MODERN MOTHERHOOD became the surprise Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards

Chung Suet Ying won Best Actress with THE WAY WE TALK last year, but only had a minor role in THE LAST DANCE
courtesy of on.cc

Michelle Wai admitted disappointment at not winning the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards Best Actress
courtesy of singtao.com

Michelle Wai felt disappointed that THE LAST DANCE got a "goose egg" at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards

Michelle Wai reveals that THE LAST DANCE extended version will be released in April

Michelle Wai reveals that her fiancee performed the betrothal gift ceremony, which was a lot of fun and fruitful

Hong Kong Film Critics Society member Manfred Wong comments on this year's awards results and feels THE LAST DANCE received the cold shoulder
courtesy of mingpao.com

The bride-to-be Michelle Wai Sze Nga would marry her outside the industry handsome medical boyfriend Chau Chee On an in February after more than two years of dating. Michelle wore a red dress to Kwun Tong yesterday to attend the shopping center event, and she recently shared photos of the gift on social networks when she would wed next month, with a lot of gold and dried seafood in a strong showing. Michelle said that the gift ceremony was very fun. "There are a lot of gold objects, there are three pairs of dragon and phoenix bracelets, and there are gold chains and meteor hammers. There are so many gifts that they couldn't fit in one car. The boss (Dr. Albert Yeung Sau Sing) gives gifts and cash." When Gillian Chung Yan Tung got married, boss Yeung Sau Sing gave her a luxury home as dowry. Has Michelle received a building as dowry? She smiled and said no. "However the Boss has given a cash gift, which is a happy price."

Michelle may have to spend her Lunar New Year at work, going to Rotterdam for the film festival on the second day of the Lunar New Year and then rushing back to Hong Kong for work. Speaking of the extended version of THE LAST DANCE, she said that as far as she knew it would be released in April. Because many Lunar New Year films would be released, THE LAST DANCE's post-production has to wait in line. The director might Extend her ambulance crying scene, but she was not sure because she did not participate in the editing of the extended version of the film. She has watched every cut so far though. Was the subject not suitable to be screened in the Lunar New Year schedule? She laughed and said, "No! It's better to be out with the old and in with the new."

A few days ago, the "Hong Kong Film Critics Society" announced its award winners, but the Hong Kong film box office record breaking THE LAST DANCE did not win any award and was only one of the top ten recommended films. The "Best Actress" went to Hedwig Tam Sin Yin for MONTAGES OF A MODERN MOTHERHOOD (FU DUK BUT). Michelle admitted that she felt disappointed after not winning the Best Actress award. "Nothing I can do, everyone's preferences and evaluation are different. I can't win every time, but I am very happy for the winners. (Do you feel you shouldn't lose to Tam Sin Yin?) Absolutely not, everybody has worked very hard." Speaking of an accusation that the "Hong Kong Film Critics Society" was forming cliques, she said that she did not know, nor did she know about the voting process. Thus she could not say so. She was disappointed for THE LAST DANCE film team, because they did not win a single award. As for her co-stars Michael Hui Koon Man and Tommy Chu Pak Hong's Asian Film Awards Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations, Michelle expressed that her disappointment at the lack of nomination there as well but she was very happy that someone from Hong Kong was nominated. "All Asian films can participate in the Asian Film Awards, so when I see Hong Kong people nominated I am very happy. They have won glory for Hong Kong!" Has it dampened her confidence in winning the Hong Kong Film Awards? Michelle says it did because the opponents has been strong every year, but she would try her best.

Winning Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards Best Actress last year, Chung Suet Ying fought for the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards Best Actress with the movie THE WAY WE TALK (HONG NGOR GUM TIN JUM MOR SUET) against Tam Sin Yin and finally lost by one vote. She also appeared in the film THE LAST DANCE, unfortunately due to the length of the film, two of her scenes were deleted so she became a supporting role among the supporting roles. Director Anselm Chan Mou Yin felt that she has been mistreated, but Chung Suet Ying did not mind. She even pointed out that roles have never been differentiated between big or small.

Chung Suet Ying has a very good relationship with THE LAST DANCE film team. Whe she shared food photos on social networks last month, one of which was beautiful chicken feet. Wai Sze Nga commented, "I know how to cook chicken foot soup, are you interested?"

Hong Kong Film Critics Society founding member and veteran filmmaker Manfred Wong (Man Jun) spoke about this year's Critics Society Awards results on his online program, as he felt very bad for THE LAST DANCE. He questioned whether the results were planned to generate talk. What led to their neglect and kept THE LAST DANCE from the Society Awards' Best Film final five discussion? He thought that giving such a cold shoulder to a movie that was beloved by the Hong Kong audience and made HK$ 150 million at the box office equated to making all ticket buying Hong Kong audience the enemy.

Man Jun felt that the Critics Society's style was fewer mention of commercial films. He questioned that since TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN (GAU LUNG SING JAI JI WAI SING) due to box office and audience support was able to win this year's Society Awards Best Film, why THE LAST DANCE with HK$ 150 million box office and audience support was not included in the final five discussions for "Best Film"? He felt that the Society intended through the results to influence Hong Kong Film Awards members' consideration. He suggested that the Society has gone extreme for more than 10 years. For example, the Fruit Chan Gor directed THREE HUSBAND (SAM FU) had Society support and the Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress went to Chloe Maayan. He thus felt that Some of the Society's member calculated, guessed and gauged which films would be able to generate talk this year, and scoffed at the city wide hit THE LAST DANCE. Man Jun bluntly said, "If you really have calculations, I think you have made the enemy out of all Hong Kong viewers who bought tickets!"

Man Jun also felt Wai Sze Nga deserved to be the final two of the Society Awards Best Actress, citing that she definitely had the substance, and questioned whether the Society minded that she was not a new actor or an actor under the Emperor banner? Man Jun said that he could not speculate with conspiracy theories. Although he liked the winner Hedwig Tam Sin Yin too, he felt Wai Sze Nga deserved the consideration. He said that Tam Sin Yin's victory with the film MONTAGES OF A MODERN MOTHERHOOD was a surprise. The film has not yet been released, so many have not yet seen it. As for THE LAST DANCE's director Anselm Chan Mou Yin is ineligible to be included in the director award discussion, Man Jun also questioned whether Chan Mou Yin was too new and was looked down upon?