5th Asian Film Awards - winners

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) held their gala ceremony tonight for the 5th Asian Film Awards (AFA) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Lisa S, Archie Kao, and Angela Chow hosted the event which had the theme “Let’s Meet Here.” The evening began with prayers being sent to the people of Japan.

The Best Film Award went to the Cannes Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives by the Thai auteur Apichatpong "Joe" Weerasethakul. It was, however, the film's lone win of the night.

The Chinese blockbuster Aftershock won Best Actress for Xu Fan and Best Visual Effects. It picked up an additional prize for being the Top-grossing Asian film of the year. Poetry was also a multiple winner, taking awards for Best Director and Best Screenwriter for Lee Chang-dong. He previously won Best Director for Secret Sunshine in 2008.

Jiang Wen's Let the Bullets Fly and Tetsuya Nakashima's Confessions led with six nominations each, including Best Film and Best Director. Let the Bullets Fly won for Best Costume Designer and a received the People's Choice Best Actor prize for Chow Yun-fat, but Confessions was shut out.

The Housemaid picked up a Best Supporting Actress award for Yoon Yeo-jeong and the People's Choice Best Actress prize for Jeon Do-yeon.

Hong Kong producer Raymond Chow, famed for introducing Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan to an international audience, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Special awards were also given to Kim Dong-ho who founded the Busan International Film Festival, and to the distributor Fortissimo Films.

A total of twenty-nine films from nine territories competed for the fourteen main awards this year.

At last year's AFA, the big winner was Mother, which won Best Film, Best Actress (Kim Hye-ja), and Best Screenwriter (Parl Eun-kyo, Bong Joon-ho).
---

Complete list of winners for the 5th Asian Film Awards

Best Film 
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ) [Thailand]

Best Director
Lee Chang-dong (이창동); Poetry (시) [South Korea]

Best Actor
Ha Jung-woo (하정우); The Yellow Sea (황해) [South Korea]

Best Actress
Xu Fan (徐帆); Aftershock (唐山大地震) [China/HK]

Best Newcomer
Mark Chao (趙又廷); Monga (艋舺) [Taiwan]

Best Supporting Actor
Sammo Hung (洪金寶); Ip Man 2 (葉問 2) [HK]

Best Supporting Actress
Yoon Yeo-jeong (윤여정); The Housemaid (하녀) [South Korea]

Best Screenwriter
Lee Chang-dong (이창동); Poetry (시) [South Korea]

Best Cinematographer
Mark Lee (李屏賓); Norwegian Wood (ノルウェイの森) [Japan]

Best Production Designer
Hayashida Yuji (林田裕至); Thirteen Assassins (十三人の刺客) [Japan/UK]

Best Composer 
Indian Ocean; Peepli Live (पीपली [लाइव]) [India]

Best Editor
Nam Na-young (남나영); I Saw the Devil (악마를 보았다) [South Korea]

Best Visual Effects
Phil Jones; Aftershock (唐山大地震) [China/HK]

Best Costume Designer
William Chang (張叔平); Let the Bullets Fly (讓子彈飛) [China/HK]

Special Awards

Lifetime Achievement
Raymond Chow (鄒文懐)

Promotion of Asian Cinema
Fortissimo Films

Contribution to Asian Cinema
Kim Dong Ho

Highest-Grossing Asian Film
Aftershock (唐山大地震) [China/HK]

People's Choice Awards

Best Actor
Chow Yun-fat (周潤發); Let the Bullets Fly (讓子彈飛) [China/HK]

Best Actress
Jeon Do-yeon (전도연); The Housemaid (하녀) [South Korea]