TEN YEARS Named Best Film At Hong Kong Film Awards As PORT OF CALL Wins Big

The 35th Hong Kong Film Awards have just been announced at a star-studded ceremony at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. 18 competitive categories were contested, with Philip Yung’s gritty crime thriller Port Of Call sweeping the board, winning a total of seven awards including all four acting categories and Best Screenplay.

 

However, independent anthology Ten Years will be grabbing all the headlines as it scooped the award for Best Film - the only category in which it was nominated. Chinese broadcasters in the mainland had dumped the awards ceremony from their channels after the low budget drama, which depicts Hong Kong a decade into the future, was nominated. This comes as little surprise, as Ten Years shows Hong Kong locals reeling under escalating oppression from Chinese authorities. Suffice to say, it won’t be playing in cinemas north of the border any time soon. 

 

But it was Port Of Call’s night. Aaron Kwok won for the first time, after 5 Best Actor nominations, first-timer Jessie Li was a surprise Best Actress winner, writer-director Philip Yung scored in both categories, while stage actor Michael Ning won Best Supporting Actor and Best New Performer.

 

Box office smash Monster Hunt, Johnnie To’s ambitious musical Office, Tsui Hark’s wartime epic The Taking of Tiger Mountain won a brace of awards each, while Wilson Yip's Ip Man 3, Soi Cheang's SPL 2: A Time For Consequences and Adam Wong’s She Remembers, He Forgets each won a single award. In addition, Hou Hsiao Hsien’s The Assassin won the award for Best Film From Mainland China Or Taiwan.