The Asian Film Awards (AFA), organized by the Asian Film Awards Academy, took place on March 26 at the Venetian Macao. Over nearly a decade, the event has seen some of the most talented and prestigious actors, actresses and filmmakers in the region being rewarded for their hardwork and dedication.
This year, 74 nominees of 42 films from eight countries competed in 14 categories. The competition was fierce, including a lot of high-calibre films that have already won or been nominated at major international film festivals and awards shows, including The Golden Era, Blind Massage, Roaring Currents, Coming Home and Black Coal, Thin Ice.
Although all the nominated films and filmmakers deserved to have their outstanding production and performance recognized, there can only be one winner in each category. After much deliberation, the jury penal decided to award Chinese movie Blind Massage as Best Film. The Best Director Award went to Ann Hui for her The Golden Era, which was also screened recently at the Script Road – Macau Literary Festival. Chinese actor Liao Fan and Korean actress Bae Doo-na were awarded the Best Actor and Best Actress Awards respectively, for their roles in Black Coal, Thin Ice and A Girl At My Door. The Best Supporting Actor and Actress Awards went to Wang Zhiwen from The Golden Era and Ikewaki Chizuru from The Light Shines Only There.
Other award winners included Best Newcomer Zhang Huiwen, Best Screenwriter Diao Yinan, Best Cinematographer Zeng Jian, Best Production Designer Liu Qing, Best Composer Mikey McCleary, Best Editor Gareth Evans, Best Visual Effects Rick Sander and Christoph Zollinger, as well as Best Costume Designer William Chang Suk Ping.
Moreover, this year's Lifetime Achievement Award and Excellence in Asian Cinema Award went to Im Kwon-taek and Nakatani Miki respectively.
Many of the award winners said they did not expect to win last night. Backstage, Best Actress Bae Doo-na said that she did not think she would receive an award, so she did not prepare a speech, but was feeling very happy. Best Actor Liao Fan, shared with the media the experience of shooting Black Coal, Thin Ice, saying that when he played the role in a sub-zero temperatures, it was so cold that he forgot all his preparations and could only rely on his instinct to act. He also said that the role was challenging, which is exactly why he chose to play it.
Best Supporting Actress Ikewaki Chizuru said that this summer, she will once again work with the director of The Light Shines Only There, the movie that brought her the award.
Meanwhile, Best Director Ann Hui insisted that many ideas relating to The Golden Era actually came from the scriptwriter Qiang Li and said that half of the award should be given to Qiang Li.
Speaking to the media before the award ceremony, Ann Hui said The Golden Era was a film that she had “put all her efforts into and has invested the longest time into, with the most suffering and anguish”. “Is it a complete success? I am afraid it isn’t yet. But it is a very good experimentation and I am glad I’ve done it”, she said.
When asked to rank the quality of the production, revenue and the recognition by awards in terms of their importance, Ann Hui said that there should be a balance between the three.
“If I have made a success in the box office with one movie, I would like to try making another one with a topic that may not guarantee a good return. If it turned out to be a failure, then I would return to the kind of films that are more revenue-guaranteed”, she said. The director reiterated that she personally thinks that the Golden Era is a venture that was worth the effort.
In terms of the future direction of Asian films, Ann Hui said that the production of various types of films can go hand in hand. “[Asian filmmakers] can work with foreign investors and produce blockbusters and sci-fi films. For example, there are many mythical stories and historical figures in China that are very attractive, such as the story of Fa Mulan, which has already been adopted for [animation]. These films can be sold to the international market. But I think that there should be films that talk about local issues and are more artistic. I think the two can go hand in hand”, she said.
The director concluded that filmmakers should produce as many movies as possible with the necessary financial and other types of support from the government.
“The government does not need to be to aggressive in helping. It also cannot hurry the result and should be sympathetic, as well as provide a suitable environment to filmmakers. Filmmakers will never know whether they have created a masterpiece. Therefore, they have to make movies non-stop. If they are given the chance, without being asked about the results, it would be better then.”
