The 17th edition of the Asian Film Awards is set to be dominated by two outstanding films: Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Evil Does Not Exist” and the Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day.” These films have received six nominations each, including a nomination for Best Film.
The nominations were announced in Hong Kong, with the award ceremony scheduled to take place on March 10th at the prestigious West Kowloon Cultural District and the Qiyu Centre.
Interestingly, history seems to be repeating itself for the Asian Film Awards. In 2023, the most nominated film was the Korean romantic-crime drama “Decision to Leave,” which received nominations in ten different categories. However, it only managed to win three awards, losing the Best Picture category to Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car.”
This year, a jury led by the esteemed Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will decide the winners of the 2024 Asian Film Awards. Kiyoshi, known for his films such as “Cure,” “Pulse,” and “Wife of a Spy,” sent a video message to the nominations event and commended the AFAs for their role in promoting diversity within Asian cinema.
Although the nominations were heavily concentrated on titles from East Asia – Korea, Japan, and Greater China – there was still recognition for one film from South Asia. Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithanage’s “Paradise” received four nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Another notable film with four nominations was “Snow Leopard” by Pema Tseden, the Tibetan-Chinese director who sadly passed away last year.
The Asian Film Awards kick off a month of exciting cinema-related events in Hong Kong. It serves as a prelude to the Hong Kong FilMart, the largest film rights market in Asia, and the HAF film project market. At the end of the month, the Hong Kong International Film Festival will take center stage.
Stay tuned for more updates on these prestigious awards!