7th Asian Film Awards Winners Show Depth of Talent in Region

The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) got underway this past weekend but that wasn't the only game in town as Monday saw both the opening of this year's Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) and the glitzy staging of the 7th Asian Film Awards (AFA). The event is the top industry awards show on the continent and features a bevy of Asian stars and filmmakers who all hit the red carpet dressed to impress.

As in previous years, awards were doled out to numerous films hailing from different countries. The Chinese film Mystery picked up the Best Film and Best Script awards while veteran filmmaker Kitano Takeshi won the Best Director Prize for Outrage Beyond. Acting accolades were swept up by Filipino films with Eddie Garcia named Best Actor for Bwakaw and Best Actress going to Nora Aunor for Thy Womb.

Though the scope and reach of Asian Cinema has skyrocketed of late and there's no doubting the depth of cinematic quality across the Asian region, some have questioned how necessary an awards show like this is. With such a broad range of films, even the experts aren't familiar with everything on display. Either way, the event does highlight just how much Asian Cinema has to offer. Here's the full breakdown of the awards: