Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light was named best film at 18th Asian Film Awards on Sunday evening (March 16).
The Indian filmmaker attended the ceremony in Hong Kong and accepted the award from filmmaker, martial arts star and AFA jury president Sammo Hung.
Scroll down for full list of winners
It marked nearly 10 months since Kapadia became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix at Cannes, where the film was the first Indian feature to play in Competition at the festival for 30 years.
“I’m so happy that we could end our journey here in Hong Kong, a city that has meant a lot to me, watching the amazing films from this city over the years,” she said on the stage of the Grand Theatre of the Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District of the city.
The awards were fairly evenly spread, with 12 different films honoured across 16 categories.
The best director award went to Japan’s Daihachi Yoshida of Teki Cometh, a black-and-white drama that previously won a hat trick of prizes at Tokyo International Film Festival.
Going into the night with the most nominations were South Korean box office hit Exhuma on 11 and Hong Kong action blockbuster Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In with nine. They won two apiece with Exhuma honoured for visual effects and costume design and …Warriors winning best editing and production design.
Also honoured with two awards were Santosh, winning best director for British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri and best actress for Shahana Goswami; and Yeo Siew Hua’s Singaporean surveillance drama Stranger Eyes, winning best supporting actor for Lee Kang-Sheng and best sound.
“I’ve always felt under-confident. I want to thank AFAs jury for giving me this confidence again,” said Goswami in her acceptance speech.
The best actor prize went to Hong Kong’s Sean Lau for his performance in Philip Yung’s family drama Papa while Taiwan’s Yang Kuei-mei won best supporting actress for her role in Yen And Ai-Lee.
As previously announced, the Asian Film Awards Academy awarded the lifetime achievement award to Japanese actor Koji Yakusho of Perfect Days and Shall We Dance?.
Accepting the honour, Yakusho – who could not attend last year’s AFAs when he won best actor for his role in Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days – said he was “struck by the weight this award carries, by looking at the previous winners”. Past recipients include Zhang Yimou, Sammo Hung and Lee Chang-dong.
Further honorary prizes were the excellence in Asian cinema awards, which went to South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun, known for Friend, Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War and most recently A Normal Family, and Chinese actor Tang Wei, known for her critically acclaimed performance in Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution, Finding Mr. Right, Ann Hui’s The Golden Era and more recently Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave.
Receiving the AFAs next generation award was Taiwanese actor Wu Kang-ren, who portrayed a deaf, undocumented migrant worker in Abang Adik and a drug-addicted father in Fly Me To The Moon.
The awards took place the evening before the opening of Hong Kong Filmart, Asia’s biggest content market, which is set to run from March 17-20. It will be followed by the Hong Kong International Film Festival from April 10-21, the line-up of which will be unveiled tomorrow (March 17).
Asian Film Awards 2025 winners
Best Film: All We Imagine As Light
Best Director: Daihachi Yoshida, Teki Cometh
Best Actor: Sean Lau, Papa
Best Actress: Shahana Goswami, Santosh
Best Supporting Actor: Lee Kang-Sheng, Stranger Eyes
Best Supporting Actress: Yang Kuei-mei, Yen And Ai-Lee
Best New Director: Sandhya Suri, Santosh
Best Newcomer: Hayato Kurihara, Happyend
Best Screenplay: Mohammad Rasoulof, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig
Best Editing: Cheung Ka Fai, Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In
Best Cinematography: Hong Kyeong-pyo, Harbin
Best Original Music: Chu Wan Pin, The Last Dance
Best Costume Design: Choi Yoon-sun, Exhuma
Best Production Design: Kenneth Mak, Chau Sai Hung Ambrose, Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In
Best Visual Effects: Kim Shin-chul, Daniel Son, Exhuma
Best Sound: Tu Duu-Chih, Tu Tse-Kang, Stranger Eyes
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