Mabel Cheung’s controversial documentary To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self was named best film at the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA), which also saw Wai Ka Fai’s Detective Vs. Sleuths walk away with best director.
Held on Sunday evening (April 16), the awards ceremony returned to the Hong Kong Cultural Centre for the first time since 2019. It was a star-studded event with a big presence of nominees and guests on the red carpet. Most notable was Michelle Yeoh who recently won the best actress Oscar.
As the first presenter of the night, Yeoh presented the best new performer award to 10-year-old Pakistan-born Sahal Zaman for his role in The Sunny Side Of The Street. She said that it was most appropriate for her to present this award as she was nominated for the same award for Yes, Madam! in 1986. Born in Malaysia, she started her career in Hong Kong and made a name for herself through Hong Kong action films in the 1980s and 1990s before crossing over to Hollywood.
Detective Vs. Sleuths bagged the most prizes, winning four of the 11 awards for which it was nominated, including best director for Wai, best actor for established actor Sean Lau, best screenplay and best cinematography.
The best actress prize went to superstar singer-actress Sammi Cheng for her role as a foster parent in Lost Love. It was three awards apiece for Where The Wind Blows, including best supporting actor for 80-year-old Michael Hui.
The Sparring Partner, which came into the awards with 16 nominations, scored two, one for best new director for Ho Cheuk Tin and the other for best editing.
Coming-of-age documentary To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self was mired in further controversy after its best film win. At press time, the social media post of HKFA was swarmed with over 1,200 comments.
The documentary, commissioned by Ying Wa Girls School to follow six schoolgirls for more than a decade, was pulled from cinemas and later from HKFA’s best film nomination when one of the featured students said that she did not give her consent for public screenings.
When taking questions from the press backstage last night, HKFA chairman Derek Yee said that the HKFA association has no power to investigate the matter. After a long deliberation, it has decided not to exercise its rights to cancel the film’s nomination but let the voters decide.
While director Cheung did not attend the ceremony, her co-director William Kwok accepted the best film award on hand. Three of the girls featured in the documentary also went up on stage.
41st Hong Kong Film Awards winners
Best Film
To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self
Best Director
Wai Ka Fai, Detective Vs. Sleuths
Best Screenplay
Wai Ka Fai, Ryker Chan, Mak Tin Shu, Detective Vs. Sleuths
Best Actor
Sean Lau, Detective Vs. Sleuths
Best Actress
Sammi Cheng, Lost Love
Best Supporting Actor
Michael Hui, Where The Wind Blows
Best Supporting Actress
Ivana Wong, Table For Six
Best New Performer
Sahal Zaman, The Sunny Side Of The Street
Best Cinematography
Cheng Siu Keung, Detective Vs. Sleuths
Best Film Editing
J.Him Lee, Zhang Zhao, Jojo Shek, The Sparring Partner
Best Art Direction
Bill Lui, Andrew Wong, Where The Wind Blows
Best Costume & Makeup Design
Dora Ng, Where The Wind Blows
Best Action Choreography
Jack Wong Wai Leung, Warriors Of Future
Best Original Film Score
Wong Hin Yan, The Narrow Road
Best Original Film Song
Live A Life, Lost Love
Best Sound Design
Nopawat Likitwong, Stan Yau, Sarunyu Nurnsai, Dhanarat Dhitirojana, Warriors Of Future
Best Visual Effects
Chas Chau Chi Shing, Leung Wai Kit, Kwok Tai, Law May, Warriors Of Future
Best New Director
Ho Cheuk Tin, The Sparring Partner
Best Asian Chinese Language Film
In Search Of Lost Time
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