Thu, 17 May 2012 15:28 PM (HKT)

AFA nominations headed by Greater China mega titles

AFA nominations headed by Greater China mega titles

By Patrick Frater

Tue, 17 January 2012, 17:15 PM (HKT)

Awards News

Big budget films from Greater China, albeit three very different ones, dominated the nominations for the 2012 edition of the Asian Film Awards. And Iranian drama A Separation Jodaeiye Nader az Simin continued its run of accolades.

Amassing the biggest haul was Hong Kong-Chinese 3-D action film Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 龍門飛甲 with seven nominations, just ahead of Christian Bale-starring The Flowers of War 金陵十三釵 from China, and Taiwanese mega-production Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale 賽德克・巴萊, with six each. A Separation claimed five nominations and Hong Kong-Chinese actioner Wu Xia 武俠 four.

The awards will be presented in Hong Kong on 19 Mar 2012 on the eve of the territory's annual film industry convention, Hong Kong FilMart. Prizes will be decided by a jury headed by Singaporean director Eric KHOO 邱金海 (pictured).

The six best film nominees included four foreign language Oscar contenders – Japan's Postcard 一枚のハガキ (2010), China's Flowers, Taiwan's Seediq Bale and Iran's Separation – as well as Hong Kong/China co-production Flying Swords and India's Zindagi na milegi dobara ज़िन्दगी ना मिलेगी दोबारा.

Other Oscar contenders from the region earned fewer AFA nominations; Hong Kong's A Simple Life 桃姐 collected two, The Philippines The Woman in the Septic Tank Ang babae sa septic tank two, and South Korea's The Front Line 고지전 three.

Wilfred WONG 王英偉, chairman of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society 香港國際電影節協會, which organises the awards deviated from his prepared script to say that Asian film has still got some catching up to do compared with Hollywood in technical and story-telling terms. But he praised the diversity of the 32 films which earned nominations across the AFA's 14 categories.

This year's AFA nominations did more than previous editions to embrace Bollywood. Four Indian films (Zindagi, Ra.One र.वन, The Dirty Picture द डर्टी पिक्चर and Rockstar) received recognition and earned a combined six nominations. Separately, Vishvajith Karunarathna was nominated as cinematographer of Sri Lankan film Flying Fish Igillena maluwo (2010).

But in recognising commercial success the AFA nominations were significantly out of line with recent international festival selections and awards, which have regularly gone to South East Asian, Japanese and South Korean films.

Of the 72 AFA nominations announced, nine went to five films from Thailand, Indonesia and The Philippines. Six Japanese films scraped together eight nominations. And the AFAs recognised only two films from South Korea, a regional powerhouse of ideas and modernisation for much of the past 15 years, sparing them just four nominations.

It was previously announced that Hong Kong director Ann Hui will receive an AFA lifetime achievement which will also be presented on 19 Mar.

 
ASIAN FILM AWARDS 2012 — COMPLETE NOMINATION LIST

Best Film
・The Flowers of War [China]
・The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate [Hong Kong/China]
・Post Card [Japan]
・A Separation [Iran]
・Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale [Taiwan]
・Zindagi na milegi dobara [India]

Best Director
・Asghar FARHADI for A Separation [Iran]
・Teddy SOERIAATMADJA for Lovely Man [Indonesia]
・SONO Sion 園子温 for Guilty of Romance 恋の罪 [Japan]
・TSUI Hark 徐克 for The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate [Hong Kong/China]
・WEI Te-sheng 魏德聖 for Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale [Taiwan]

Best Actor
・CHEN Kun 陳坤 for The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate [Hong Kong/China]
・Donny DAMARA for Lovely Man [Indonesia]
・Andy LAU 劉德華 for A Simple Life [Hong Kong/China]
・PARK Hae-il 박해일 | 朴海日 for War of the Arrows 최종병기 활 [South Korea]
・YAKUSHO Koji 役所広司 for Chronicle of My Mother わが母の記 [Japan]

Best Actress
・Vidya BALAN for The Dirty Picture [India]
・Michelle CHEN 陳妍希 for You Are the Apple of My Eye 那些年，我們一起追的女孩。 [Taiwan]
・Eugene DOMINGO for The Woman in the Septic Tank [Philippines]
・Leila HATAMI for A Separation [Iran]
・Deanie IP 葉德嫻 for A Simple Life [Hong Kong/China]

Best Newcomer
・Kai KO 柯震東 for You Are the Apple of My Eye [Taiwan]
・Eric LIN 林暉閔 for Starry Starry Night 星空 [Taiwan/China/Hong Kong]
・MAEDA Oshiro 前田旺志郎 for I Wish 奇跡 [Japan]
・NI Ni 倪妮 for The Flowers of War [China]
・Gita NOVALISTA for The Mirror Never Lies Laut bercermin [Indonesia]

Best Supporting Actor
・Mark MA 馬志翔 (aka "Umin Boya") for Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale [Taiwan]
・Lawrence KO 柯宇綸 for Jump Ashin! 翻滾吧！阿信 [Taiwan]
・LEE Je-hun 이제훈 for The Front Line [South Korea]
・Mario MAURER มาริโอ้ เมาเร่อ for The Outrage อุโมงค์ผาเมือง [Thailand]

Best Supporting Actress
・Sharmaine BUENCAMINO for Niño [Philippines]
・GWEI Lun-mei 桂綸鎂 for The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate [Hong Kong/China]
・Sirin "Cris" HORWANG ศิริน หอวัง for Headshot ฝนตกขึ้นฟ้า [Thailand]
・YAN Ni 閆妮 for 11 Flowers 我１１ [China/France/Hong Kong]

Best Screenwriter
・Asghar FARHADI for A Separation [Iran]
・SHINDO Kaneto 新藤兼人 for Post Card [Japan]
・LIU Heng 劉恆 & YAN Geling 嚴歌苓 for The Flowers of War [China]
・Alan MAK 麥兆輝 & Felix CHONG 莊文強 for Overheard 2 竊聽風雲２ [Hong Kong/China]
・Chris MARTINEZ for The Woman in the Septic Tank [Philippines]

Best Cinematographer
・CHIN Ting-chang 秦鼎昌 for Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale [Taiwan]
・Vishvajith KARUNARATHNA for Flying Fish [Sri Lanka]
・KIM Wu-hyeong 김우형 for The Front Line [South Korea]
・Jake POLLOCK & LAI Yiu-fai 黎耀輝 for Wu Xia [China]
・Rahmat SYAIFUL for The Mirror Never Lies [Indonesia]

Best Production Designer
・Suzanne CAPLAN MERWANJI for Zindagi na milegi dobara [India]
・RYU Seong-hee 류성희 for The Front Line (South Korea)
・TANEDA Yohei 種田陽平 for Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale [Taiwan]
・YEE Chung-man 奚仲文 & Ben LAU 劉敏雄 for The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate [Hong Kong/China]
・YEE Chung-man & SUN Li 孫立 for Wu Xia [China]

Best Composer
・Comfort CHAN 陳光榮, Peter KAM 金培達 & Chatchai PONGPRAPAPHAN ชาติชาย พงษ์ประภาพันธ์ for Wu Xia [China]
・CHEN Qigang 陳其鋼 for The Flowers of War [China]
・Ricky HO 何國杰 for Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale [Taiwan]
・Rahat Fateh Ali KHAN, A.R. RAHMAN & Neeraj SHRIDHAR for Rockstar [India]
・SAKAMOTO Ryuichi 坂本龍一 for Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai 一命 [Japan]

Best Editor
・Curran PANG 彭正熙 for Overheard 2 [Hong Kong/China]
・Nelly QUETTIER for 11 Flowers [China/France/Hong Kong]
・Hayedeh SAFIYARI for A Separation [Iran]
・Anand SUBAYA for Zindagi na milegi dobara [India]
・TANG Man-to 鄧文滔 for White Vengeance 鴻門宴傳奇 [Hong Kong/China]

Best Visual Effects
・Ritesh AGGARWAL for Ra.One [India]
・KAMIYA Makoto 神谷誠 for Gantz ＧＡＮＴＺ (2010) [Japan]
・Wook KIM, Josh COLE & Frankie CHUNG 鍾健強 for The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate [Hong Kong/China]
・XIAO Yang, CHANG Song, A LAW, LEE Ming-hsung & LI Jinhui for Starry Starry Night [Taiwan/China/Hong Kong]
・YUNG Kwok-yin & Andy KANG for Wu Xia [Hong Kong/China]

Best Costume Designer
・AMANO Kyoko & EMURA Kouichi for Milocrorze: A Love Story ミロクローゼ [Japan]
・William CHANG 張叔平 for The Flowers of War [China]
・MOK Kwan-kit 莫君傑 for White Vengeance [Hong Kong/China]
・Noppadol TECHO for The Outrage [Thailand]
・YEE Chung-man for The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate [Hong Kong/China]

Related Reviews

  1. 11 Flowers | 我１１
    Involving snapshot of childhood set near the end of the Cultural Revolution.
  2. The Dirty Picture | द डर्टी पिक्चर
    Routine rags-to-riches star biopic, set in '80s Madras, with a miscast Vidya Balan.
  3. The Flowers of War | 金陵十三釵
    Good-looking but dramatically weak Nanjing Massacre drama, with a miscast Christian Bale.
  4. Flying Swords of Dragon Gate | 龍門飛甲
    Enjoyably retro swordplay antics, with a superb cast but a weak finale.
  5. The Front Line | 고지전
    Well-written and directed Korean War-is-hell movie is over-long but involvingly played.
  6. Gantz
    Dull manga adaptation fails to hook on either an action or an emotional level.
  7. Guilty of Romance | 恋の罪
    Sono Sion's black comedy on sex and transgression is bumpy but still entertaining.
  8. Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai | 一命
    Intelligent, precision-made version of the novel, with subtle use of 3-D.
  9. Headshot | ฝนตกขึ้นฟ้า
    A part return to form by director Pen-ek Ratanaruang in an existential crime noir.
  10. I Wish | 奇跡
    Engaging but leisurely portrait of two kids separated by their parents' divorce.
  11. Jump Ashin! | 翻滾吧！阿信
    Follow-your-dream heartwarmer centred on a male gymnast is okay but unoriginal.
  12. Milocrorze: A Love Story | ミロクローゼ
    Visual extravaganza centred on tales of fraught love has little beneath the emperor's clothes.
  13. The Mirror Never Lies | Laut bercermin
    Beautifully shot, low-key drama of a fishing community seen through a young girl's eyes.
  14. Overheard 2 | 竊聽風雲２
    A slicker, but also more conventional, follow-up to the 2009 bugging thriller.
  15. Ra.One | र.वन
    Coldly calculated superhero extravaganza with no heart and even less script.
  16. A Simple Life | 桃姐
    Deanie Ip and Andy Lau make memorable chemistry in the moving story of an amah's final lap.
  17. Starry Starry Night | 星空
    Disappointingly conventional tale of two lonely 13-year-olds, short on charm and drama.
  18. War of the Arrows | 최종병기 활
    Visceral action and strong performances punch up a fairly conventional costume drama.
  19. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale | 賽德克・巴萊
    International version of the two-part Taiwan epic is watchable but uninvolving, with repetitive action.
  20. White Vengeance | 鴻門宴傳奇
    Impressive costume drama about two warring leaders loses the plot halfway.
  21. The Woman in the Septic Tank | Ang babae sa septic tank
    Satire of festival-friendly, Third World slum dramas is amusing but under-developed.
  22. Wu Xia | 武俠
    Sumptuously shot spin on the costume action genre has good performances but a slightly bumpy script.
  23. You Are the Apple of My Eye | 那些年，我們一起追的女孩。
    Likable but lightweight compendium of high-school romances, well cast and slickly packaged.
  24. Zindagi na milegi dobara | ज़िन्दगी ना मिलेगी दोबारा
    A superior buddy/road movie that's sustained by its performances and likeable ensemble.

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    Hollywood star to appear in $90m Flowers of War
  176. Wild Side takes shot at Headshot
    Thai film noir finds Cannes-ready home
  177. Seediq Bale sets Sep 2011 campaign
    Two-part aborigine epic picked up by CMC Entertainment
  178. HHH calculates 10+10=100
    Taiwan anniversary omnibus to feature 20 directors
  179. Rahman delays Jhootha release
    Suicide comedy romance built around music
  180. Tokyo reveals rich lineup
    Final film by Shindo Kaneto added to Competition
  181. Tokyo Project Gathering Hosts Host Sequel
    Co-production market emphasises Japanese and Korean cinema