Hong Kong is set to host the first ever Asian Film Awards (AFA), recognising talent from across the region, on the first night of the 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) on March 20.

Organised by the HKIFF and held in conjunction with Entertainment Expo, the awards will feature ten categories including best film, best director, best actor, best actress, best screenwriter, best cinematographer, best production designer, best composer, best editor and best visual effects.

Presiding over the awards is a jury of 17 film professionals, including such luminaries as KOFIC chairperson An Cheong Sook, Venice film festival director Marco Mueller, Chinese filmmaker Xie Fei and the Cannes film festival's Christian Jeune. After screening 700 eligible films produced in the region in 2006, the jury has selected up to six nominees in each category.

AFA winners will be announced at the awards gala on March 20 and the event organisers are currently in negotiations with major TV outlets for international broadcast throughout Asia.

'With more than four billion people in Asia - 60% of the global population - a celebration of Asian cinema is long overdue,' said HKIFF Society chairman Wilfred Wong.

'We aim to make the AFA the most prominent and definitive film awards for the region by highlighting excellence in Asian filmmaking and by bringing broader attention to the rich and diverse stories and storytellers from all over Asia today.'

The pan-Asian show is being held in addition to the Hong Kong Film Awards, which focus on Hong Kong films and filmmakers, and this year takes place on April 15.

FULL LIST OF ASIAN FILM AWARDS NOMINEES:

BEST FILM

  1. Curse Of The Golden Flower (Hong Kong / China)
  2. Exiled (Hong Kong)
  3. The Host (South Korea)
  4. Love And Honor (Japan)
  5. Opera Jawa (Indonesia / Austria)
  6. Still Life (China)

BEST DIRECTOR

  1. HONG Sang-soo - Woman On The Beach (South Korea)
  2. JIA Zhangke - Still Life (China)
  3. Jafar PANAHI - Offside (Iran)
  4. Johnnie TO - Exiled (Hong Kong)
  5. TSAI Ming-liang - I Don't Want To Sleep Alone (Taiwan-France-Austria)
  6. Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL - Syndromes And A Century (Thailand-Austria-France)

BEST ACTOR

  1. CHANG Chen - The Go Master (China)
  2. JUNG Ji-hoon (aka Rain) - I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (South Korea)
  3. Shahrukh KHAN - Don (India)
  4. Andy LAU - A Battle Of Wits (Japan-Hong Kong-China-South Korea)
  5. SONG Kang-ho - The Host (South Korea)
  6. Ken WATANABE - Memories Of Tomorrow (Japan)

BEST ACTRESS

  1. GONG Li - Curse Of The Golden Flower (Hong Kong-China)
  2. KIM Hye-soo - Tazza: The High Rollers (South Korea)
  3. LIM Soo-jung - I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK (South Korea)
  4. MIYAZAWA Rie - Hana (Japan)
  5. NAKATANI Miki - Memories Of Matsuko (Japan)
  6. ZHANG Ziyi - The Banquet (Hong Kong-China)

BEST SCREENWRITER

  1. Mani HAGHIGHI - Men At Work (Iran)
  2. HONG Sang-soo - Woman On The Beach (South Korea)
  3. OISHI Tetsuya, KANEKO Shusuke - Death Note: The Last Name (Japan)
  4. SOHN Jae-gon - My Scary Girl (South Korea)
  5. Prabda YOON - Invisible Waves (Thailand-Netherlands-South Korea-Hong Kong)
  6. ZHANG Cheng, YUE Xiaojun, NING Hao - Crazy Stone (Hong Kong-China)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER

  1. KIM Hyung-goo - The Host (South Korea)
  2. Andrew LAU, LAI Yiu-fai - Confession Of Pain (Hong Kong)
  3. LIAO Pen-jung - I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (Taiwan-France-Austria)
  4. Sayombhu MUKDEEPROM - Syndromes And A Century (Thailand-Austria-France)
  5. WANG Yu - The Go Master (China)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGNER

  1. CHO Keun-hyun - Forbidden Quest (South Korea)
  2. KUWAJIMA Towako - Memories Of Matsuko (Japan)
  3. Patrick TAM, Cyrus HO - After This Our Exile (Hong Kong)
  4. WADA Emi - The Go Master (China)
  5. Tim YIP - The Banquet (Hong Kong-China)

BEST COMPOSER

  1. JEONG Yong-jin - Woman On The Beach (South Korea)
  2. Peter KAM - Isabella (Hong Kong)
  3. LIM Giong - Still Life (China)
  4. Rahayu SUPANGGAH - Opera Jawa (Indonesia-Austria)
  5. TERASHIMA Tamiya - Tales From Earthsea (Japan)

BEST EDITOR

  1. Lee CHATAMETIKOOL - Syndromes And A Century (Thailand-Austria-France)
  2. KIM Sun-min - The Host (South Korea)
  3. Angie LAM - Dog Bite Dog (Japan-Hong Kong)
  4. PARK Gok-ji, JEONG Jin-hee - A Dirty Carnival (South Korea)
  5. Patrick TAM - After This Our Exile (Hong Kong)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

  1. Angela BARSON, CHUNG Chi-hang - Curse Of The Golden Flower (Hong Kong-China)
  2. Digital Tetra Inc - The Restless (South Korea)
  3. OHYA Tetsuo - The Sinking Of Japan (Japan)
  4. The Orphanage - The Host (South Korea)
  5. YANAGAWASE Masahide - Memories Of Matsuko (Japan)

Topics