The Asian Film Awards (AFAs) is returning to Hong Kong for its 16th edition, bringing the celebration of cinema from the region back to the city for the first time since 2019.
A joint initiative of Hong Kong, Busan and Tokyo film festivals with the Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA) since 2007, the accolades will highlight the best films from the region at the Hong Kong Palace Museum following two years in Busan. The March 12 ceremony also marks a comeback for the event, which was not held in 2022.
The AFAs precede Filmart, which runs from March 13-16 in Hong Kong, taking place the night before the global content market hosts its first physical edition since 2019.
The trio of key Asian festivals established the AFAA and the AFAs to spotlight the region’s industry, the titles it produces and the talents behind them. The AFAA aims to strengthen and develop the local industry by showcasing Asian cinema’s success, with 16 categories plus special awards that applaud contributions to the industry’s growth.
Building and expanding the region’s film industry is a year-round mission, culminating in the AFAs but complemented by other activities both locally and globally. To support emerging and aspiring filmmakers, the AFAA holds film craft workshops, with award-winning filmmakers Naomi Kawase and Anthony Chen among previous speakers. For students and professionals, the Young Film Professionals Overseas Training Programme provides international skills-development opportunities and short-term work placements.
To engage audiences, the Asian Cinerama roadshow takes standout Asian titles to international festivals, including in Hawaii, Barcelona, Warsaw, Helsinki and Toronto. A masterclass series also features renowned filmmakers such as John Woo and Johnnie To, in sessions held in person and online.
The AFAA’s focus on talent shines through in this year’s AFA nominees, recognising 30 films from 22 countries and territories. Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave leads the contenders with 10 nominations in a strong showing for Korean cinema, which has a nominee in every category.
Stiff competition
Drive My Car from Japan’s Ryusuke Hamaguchi has eight nods, the second-most recognised title, and joins Decision To Leave in the best film field. Also vying for the award are Lav Diaz’s When The Waves Are Gone from the Philippines, India’s Ponniyin Selvan: I by Mani Ratnam and Kazakhstan’s Poet from Darezhan Omirbaev.
Park, Hamaguchi and Omirbaev each also received best director nominations in a race packed with internationally acclaimed filmmakers. Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car won last year’s Oscar for best international feature film after proving a hit at Cannes 2021, while Decision To Leave earned Park the best director prize at Cannes in 2022 as well as a Bafta nomination.
Also at last year’s Cannes, Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda received a jury prize for his Korean-language drama Broker, and now competes for AFA’s best director award. Omirbaev took out Tokyo film festival’s directing field with Poet, and Cambodian-French filmmaker Davy Chou, the fifth and final AFA directing contender, collected the same prize for Return To Seoul at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia.
A seven-person jury will decide the winners, presided over by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. The 2021 AFA best director recipient for One Second, as well as a two-time Venice Golden Lion winner, Berlin Golden Bear winner and Cannes grand jury prize winner, acknowledges the importance of his position and selecting films that emphasise Asia’s cinematic prowess.
“The Asian Film Awards bears an incredibly significant role in promoting Asian film culture and telling the world — we are here,” says Zhang. “In Asia, there are many amazing young directors these days whose work is impressive, who represent the future of Asian cinema and who are the emerging Asian force.”
This year’s AFAs will also bestow Japanese actor Hiroshi Abe with the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, honouring a career of more than three decades that spans a Japan Academy Film Prize for Thermæ Romæ and performances in Kore-eda’s Still Walking and After The Storm.
Previous recipients of the honorary award include 2023 Oscar nominee Michelle Yeoh, Lee Byung-hun, and fellow Japanese talents Koji Yakusho and Miki Nakatani, alongside other special award recipients including Zhang and Bollywood’s Amitabh Bachchan.
For more information, contact Jude Cheung, AFAA
