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Gangster flick triumphs at Hong Kong film awards
2006-04-08
"Election", the dark tale of a bloody power struggle between ruthless gangsters, took home top honours at the 25th Hong Kong Film Awards, winning prizes for best film, director, actor and screenplay. Johnnie To's look at Hong Kong's oldest triad, the Wo Shing Society, was seen as the big winner at Saturday's gala event, but it was "Perhaps Love", the first Chinese musical in 40 years, that actually took home the most awards. The lavish Mandarin-language film, about a director and actor caught in a love triangle while making a musical set in 1930s China, won for best actress, costumes, makeup design, art direction, cinematography, song and film score. Although not as prestigious as Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards, the Hong Kong Film Awards are considered among Chinese cinema's top accolades, and drew a bevy of stars from across the region. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi lent a bit of A-list power to the evening, along with veteran action star Sammo Hung, local heart-throb Tony Leung Chiu-wai and popular South Korean stars Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Sung-jae and Jung Woo-song. Tony Leung Ka-fai pipped co-star Simon Yam to win the best actor award for his role as a ruthless mobster in "Election", beating "Divergence" star Aaron Kwok and "Wait 'Til You're Older" actor Andy Lau. Chinese starlet Zhou Xun, who won for "Perhaps Love", choked back tears while accepting her best actress prize before an audience of 6,000 at the Hong Kong Coliseum. "I am feeling much calmer now. My heart was beating...I wanted to thank my parents and the directors who helped me to get to where I am today," she told reporters. Peter Kam, who won the Silver Bear for best music for "Isabella" at this year's Berlin Film Festival, also earned himself two prizes for the romantic musical: the best film song, as well as film score with co-composer Leon Ko. "I feel very excited about receiving the awards. I wouldn't underestimate this prize just because I've won the others," Kam told reporters backstage. Car racing movie "Initial D" picked up four gongs including sound design and visual effects, with veteran local star Anthony Wong bagging the best supporting actor nod. Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou triumphed as best new performer for his role in "Initial D", directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, the same pair who made the box-office smash "Infernal Affairs" trilogy. Teresa Mo took home the best supporting actress prize for "2 Young" while Donnie Yen, star of "Hero" and "Seven Swords", won the action choreography award for "SPL". It was a hugely disappointing night for the team behind "Seven Swords" -- a story of seven martial arts masters who struggle to keep their art alive under a new ruler. It failed to win a single award despite 11 nominations. It was the same story for adventure film "The Myth" starring Jackie Chan, which received four nominations but won no awards, and Chen Kaige's big-budget martial arts epic "The Promise", which left empty-handed despite five nods.
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