South Korean thriller The Host enjoyed the glory of
winning four out of five nominations, including best picture, at
Hong Kong's inaugural Asian Film Awards on Tuesday night while
Chinese director Jia Zhangke was honored for best directing.
The dazzling ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition
Center was further brightened by the presence of stars from around
Asia, including China, Iran, South Korea, Thailand and
Indonesia.
The red carpet was a procession of glamorous celebrities with
mainland director Jia Zhangke, Hong Kong directors Andrew Lau and
Johnny To, French director Luc Besson, actresses Michelle Yeoh and
Maggie Q, actors Tony Leung, Andy Lau and Chang Chen, South Korean
pop star Rain and director Park Chan-wook, Japanese actor Hirokazu
Korida and actress Miki Nakatani among those in attendance.
The Host, a film depicting a family pitted against a
mutant squid-like monster?-- brought to life thanks to The
Orphanage and Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop-produced visual
magic?-- which also contains some subtle anti-Americanism, won
the awards for best picture, best actor, best cinematographer and
best visual effects.
"The film is not only about anti-Americanism but about problems at
home in South Korea such as receiving no help from the police even
when they are called," said executive producer Choi Yong-bae when
he received the award trophy, Song Kang-ho picked up the best actor
award for his role in the movie.
This film's reception in Hong Kong is ironic compared with the
critical panning it received at home with audiences and media alike
deriding it as being a step back for the director, despite its
adroit combination of horror, black humor and satire.
Jia Zhangke collected the Best Director Award for his Venice
prize-winning film Still Life while Oscar-winning Hong
Kong art designer Yip Kam-tim was rewarded for his spectacular work
in The Banquet with the best art direction prize.
Japanese actress Miki Nakatani took home the best actress award
for Memories of Matsuko, lending the awards a true
international flavor along with several other winners such as
Iran's Mani Haghighi (best screenwriter), Thailand's Lee
Chatametikool (best editor) and Indonesia's Rahayu Supanggah (best
composer).
The "Outstanding Contribution to Asian Cinema" achievement award
was given to 60-year-old Hong Kong legend Josephine Siao Fong-fong,
whose rise from child star to scintillating screen legend across
230 films on silver screen has entertained audiences for five
decades.
Pop star Andy Lau, recognized as a landmark figure in Hong Kong
film history, won the "Asian Box-office Megastar" award for his
outstanding contribution to the Hong Kong film industry?--
namely his box office sales in the Hong Kong have reached HK$170
million (US$21.7 million).
Some observers derided the Asian Film Awards for only selecting
commercial blockbusters in the best film award nominations such as
China's Curse of the Golden Flower, Japan's Death
Note: the Last Name and the big box office victor in South
Korea, The Host?-- the final winner.
As the Hong Kong film industry plummeted in 2006 to its lowest
point since the 1980s, while Korean filmmakers are competing for a
narrowed field of success due to the nation's stringent screen
quota regulations and with Japan facing increased competition
pressure from Hollywood, to see Asian box office hits and their
makers rewarded is understandable, since the industry must ensure
its own survival, observers said.
The awards marked the beginning of the Hong Kong International
Film Festival, which will run until April 11. The festival will
showcase around 300 films and premiering 16 of them.
Compared to the Hong Kong Film Awards, the Hong Kong
International Film Festival is less well-known and organizers have
linked it to the new Asian Film Awards this year, hoping to attract
and hold the limelight.
Two other influential awards already exist in Hong Kong?--
the Hong Kong Film Critic Awards and Golden Bauhinia Awards.
Furthermore, two top international awards are held every year in
Shanghai and Tokyo, with the reputation of Pusan International Film
Festival also on the rise, leading some to question the utility of
these new Asian Film Awards.
The answer remains unclear since these inaugural awards, despite
having been a visual and cinematic feast, maintain their fledgling
status. They must yet prove able to develop into a true development
opportunity for Asian films and filmmakers.
The Host wins
the?Best Picture Award.
Jia Zhangke picks
up?the Best Director Award for his Still
Life.
Hong Kong movie legend
Josephine Siao Fong-fong
Pop star Andy Lau
Song Kang-ho receives the
Best Actor?Award for his performance in?The
Host.
Miki Nakatani receives the
Best Actress?Award for her performance in?Memories of
Matsuko.
Yip Kam-tim is rewarded for
his spectacular work in The Banquet with the best art
direction prize.
World-famous French
director Luc Besson presents the "Outstanding Contribution to Asian
Cinema" achievement award to the legendary actress Josephine Siao
Fong-fong.
The 3rd Entertainment Expo Hong Kong opens
The Asian Film Awards and the film festival all form part of the
3rd Entertainment Expo Hong Kong. The Expo also kicked off on
Tuesday with a star-studded line-up featuring at its gala
opening.
Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology Joseph
Wong led the ceremony, saying that the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR) government would drive forward in
supporting the local media and entertainment industry, which are
key components of the creative industries.
The HKSAR government will work to enhance production quality,
explore market opportunities, keep up a balanced business
environment and facilitate technological development, Wong
added.
?????? Expo
Ambassador Tony Leung |
The Expo includes eight major core events, including the Hong
Kong International Film and TV Market, HK International Film
Festival, HK Film Awards Presentation Ceremony, HK-Asia Film
Financing Forum, Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum, HK Music
Fair, IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award, and the HK Independent
Short Film and Video Awards. The extravaganza will run for just
under a month, from March 20 to April 15.
Throwing together a smorgasbord of star-studded events, gala
premieres and seminars, this year's Expo has united under the
themed banner, "Get into the Scene."
"The entertainment industry serves the public, so their
involvement is crucial," said Entertainment Expo Ambassador Tony
Leung. "It is a great honor for me to be the Entertainment Expo
Ambassador. Over the past three years, we have been able to see the
positive effect the event has had throughout the industry. It has
become part of the city itself."
(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, March 21,
2007)
