Entertainment | Venetian hosts star-studded film awards ceremony

The AFA Academy aims to promote, develop and enrich Asian cinema, its talents and audiences by organizing the AFA and a diversity of other events

Scores of stars and celebrities from more than six Asian countries descended on Macau as the city hosted the presentation ceremony for the ninth Asian film awards at the Venetian Theatre last night. This year, 74 nominees from 42 films and eight countries were competing in 14 categories. The winners were recognized for their cinematographic efforts and contributions over the previous year.
The title of best director fell upon Hong Kong’s Ann Hui for the “The Golden Era.” Winning the committee of judges’ hearts, she grabbed the award over five other contenders. The lady, relaxed throughout the night, told media afterwards that “half of the award should be for the movie’s scriptwriter as he deserves half her success.”
“Blind Massage,” a Chinese and French film directed by Lou Ye and based on Bi Feiyu’s novel, was rated the best movie of the year in the ceremony after sweeping seven accolades and awards from the Golden Horse Awards and the Berlin International Film Festival respectively. The film also notched up a best cinematographer award for its skilled cameraman, Zeng Jian.
Liao Fan, a mainland Chinese actor, took away one of the most controversial titles -­
the best actor – with ease. The 41-year-old told media afterwards during a backstage session that he was looking forward to more different challenging roles in the future. Posing in front of numerous flashing cameras, the award-winning actor seemed confident and proud of his outstanding performance in the movie, “Black Coal, Thin Ice”, which depicted how a policeman grew subtly affectionate towards a woman involved in the crime he was investigating. The storyline of the film, devised by Diao Yinan, also received the jury’s favor, claiming the “Best Screenwriter.”
Also one of the most anticipated awards, the best actress accolade, was granted to Bae Doo-na, 36, for her portrayal of a police academy instructor in “A Girl at My Door.” To her surprise, the Korean actress was left dumbfounded in her seat when she heard her name being called by the award’s presenter, famous Hong Kong singer Aaron Kwok. Earlier, on the red carpet before the ceremony, the award-wining actress, dressed in a light orange full-length gown, revealed that she hadn’t prepared herself for such a great honor as she didn’t even have her acceptance speech ready in advance.
The best supporting actor award also went to the mainland Chinese actor, Wang Zhiwen, who was absent from last night’s award ceremony after abruptly falling ill the night before. His impressive performance in the movie “Golden Era” earned him unanimous recognition from the jury committee.
The Japanese actress, Ikewaki Chizuru, likewise won the best supporting actress title with her excellent acting in the romance, “The Light Shines Only There.” The delighted actress told the media afterwards that she highly regarded every single opportunity bestowed to her, and she would always bring her best to the audience.
Last night also witnessed a newborn star rising as Zhang Huiwen, also from China, received a “Best Newcomer” prize for her noteworthy performance in the movie “Coming Home.”
Meanwhile the comedy film directed by Jiang Wen, “Gone with the Bullet”, also competing among four contenders, swept a total of three awards last night including “Best Visual Effects”, “Best Production Designer” and “Best Costume Designer”.
Mikey Mccleary, a Mumbai-­based songwriter, displayed his talent  in “Margarita, with a Straw” and was thus awarded “Best Composer” at the ceremony. Besides this, the “Best Editor” award went to Gareth Evans for his sophisticated editing skills shown in “The Raid 2: Berandal.”
In recognition of Im Kwon-taek’s lifelong contribution to the film industry, the venerable Korean director was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Revered as the godfather of Korean cinema, the 79-year-old has been active in cinema for over half a century. The versatile Japanese artist Nakatani Miki similarly received the “Excellence in Asian Cinema Award” for her exemplary endeavors in the cinema industry.
Founded by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival in late 2013, the AFA Academy aims to promote, develop and enrich Asian cinema, its talents and audiences by organizing the AFA and a diversity of other programs across Asia through working closely with film, arts and culture partners from around the world. This was the second consecutive year the award ceremony was held in the city since its previous destination of Hong Kong in 2013. Staff reporter

Bae Doo-na, Aaron Kwok, Ann Hui and Jermaine Jackson