The Good, The Bad, The Weird - Kim Jee-woon's rollicking Oriental Western -has racked upeight nominations for this year's Asian Film Awards, including those for best film, director and cinematographer.

Song Kang-ho picked up a nod for best actor, while Jung Woo-sung and Lee Byung-hun both got nominated in the best supporting actor category.

Other nominees in the best film category are Chen Kaige's Mei Lanfang biopic Forever Enthralled, Hayao Miyazaki's animation Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea, Riri Riza's school drama The Rainbow Troops, John Woo's historical action film Red Cliff, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's family drama Tokyo Sonata.

Choosing the winners from the nominations will be a 13-person jury presided over by actress Michelle Yeoh. Other jury members include Christian Jeune from the Cannes film festival; Kenji Ishizaka from the Tokyo film festival; Christophe Terhechte from the Berlinale; Noah Cowan from the Toronto film festival; and Park Ki-yong, filmmaker and head of the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA).

The awards presentation ceremony will be held March 23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, as the Opening Gala of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong.

The 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) and the 7th Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) also start March 23.

Full list of Asian Film Awards nominations

Best Film

Forever Enthralled (Mainland China)

The Good, The Bad , The Weird (South Korea)

Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea (Japan)

The Rainbow Troops (Indonesia)

Red Cliff (Mainland China)

Tokyo Sonata (Japan / The Netherlands / Hong Kong)

Best Director

Feng Xiao-gang - If You Are The One (Mainland China)

Kim Jee-woon - The Good, The Bad, The Weird (South Korea)

Koreeda Hirokazu - Still Walking (Japan)

Brillante Mendoza - Service (The Philippines)

Miyazaki Hayao / Frank Marshall - Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea (Japan)

John Woo - Red Cliff (Mainland China)

Best Actor

Ge You - If You Are The One (Chinese)

Ha Jung-woo - The Chaser (South Korea)

Akshay Kumar - Singh Is Kinng (India)

Matsuyama Kenichi - Detroit Metal City (Japan)

Motoki Masahiro - Departures (Japan)

Song Kang-ho - The Good, The Bad, The Weird (South Korea)

Best Actress

Fukatsu Eri - The Magic Hour (Japan)

Jiang Wenli - And The Spring Comes (Mainland China)

Deepika Padukone - Chandni Chowk To China (India) \

Yoshinaga Sayuri - Kabei - Our Mother (Japan)

Zhou Wei - Painted Skin (Mainland China / Hong Kong)

Zhou Xun - The Equation Of Love And Death (Mainland China)

Best Newcomer

Matsuda Shota - Boys Over Flowers: The Movie (Japan)

Sandrine Pinna - Miao Miao (Taiwan / Hong Kong)

So Ji-sub - Rough Cut (South Korea)

Xu Jiao - CJ7 (Hong Kong)

JeeJa Yanin - Chocolate (Thailand)

Yu Shaoqun - Forever Enthralled (Mainland China)

Best Supporting Actor

Nick Cheung - Beast Stalker (Hong Kong)

Jung Woo-sung - The Good, The Bad, The Weird (South Korea)

Lee Byung-hun - The Good, The Bad, The Weird (South Korea)

Tsutsumi Shinichi - Suspect X (Japan)

Wang Xueqi - Forever Enthralled (Mainland China)

Best Supporting Actress

Aoi Yu - Sex Is No Laughing Matter (Japan)

Jaclyn JOSE - Service (The Philippines)

KIKI Kirin - Still Walking (Japan)

KIM Ji-yeong - Forever The Moment (South Korea)

Gina PARENO - Service (The Philippines)

Best Screenwriter

NA Hong-jin - The Chaser (South Korea)

LI Qiang - And The Spring Comes (Mainland China)

Tom Lin / Henry Tsai - Winds Of September (Taiwan / Hong Kong)

Kurosawa Kiyoshi / Max Mannix / Tanaka Sachiko - Tokyo Sonata (Japan / The Netherlands / Hong Kong)

Mitani Koki - The Magic Hour (Japan)

Best Cinematographer

Ato Shoichi - Paco And The Magical Book (Japan)

Cheng Siu-keung - Sparrow (Hong Kong)

Lee Mo-gae - The Good, The Bad, The Weird (South Korea)

Jola Dylewska - Tulpan (Germany / Kazakhstan / Poland / Russia / Switzerland)

Wang Yu / Nelson Lik-wai Yu - 24 City (Mainland China)

Waluyo ICHWANDIARDONO - The Rainbow Troops (Indonesia)

KIM Sun-min - The Chaser (South Korea)

Best Visual Effects

Craig Hayes - Red Cliff (Mainland China)

KIM Wook - The Good, The Bad, The Weird (South Korea)

Yanagawase Masahide - Paco And The Magical Book (Japan)

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