HK Film Awards: Tony Leung Ka Fai wins Best Actor for 5th time; Fish Liew takes first Best Actress award
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Tony Leung Ka Fai (left) won Best Actor and Fish Liew won Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards on April 19.
PHOTOS: HONGKONGFILMAWARDS/INSTAGRAM
Hong Kong veteran actor Tony Leung Ka Fai and Malaysian actress Fish Liew, both front runners in their respective categories, clinched Best Actor and Best Actress wins at the 44th Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) on April 19.
Both Leung, 68, and Liew, 36, were previously named Best Actor and Best Actress respectively at the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild Awards in March.
Leung clinched the prize for his role as mysterious criminal mastermind The Shadow in crime thriller The Shadow’s Edge. He beat Louis Koo (Behind The Shadows and Back To The Past), Louis Cheung (Golden Boy) and Carlos Chan (Someone Like Me) in the category.
The Best Actor award was Leung’s fifth at the HKFA after wins for his roles in Reign Behind A Curtain (1983), 92 Legendary La Rose Noire (1992), Election (2005) and Cold War (2012). He has the second-highest number of Best Actor wins at the HKFA after Tony Leung Chiu Wai, who has six.
“This year marks the 44th anniversary of the HKFA, and it’s also my 44th year in the industry,” Tony Leung Ka Fai said during his acceptance speech. “Just being nominated is deeply meaningful to me; it’s a lifelong honour whether I win or not.”
Liew was crowned Best Actress for her role as Mui, an artist born with cerebral palsy, in the Hong Kong drama Someone Like Me.
She beat Ma Li (The Dumpling Queen), Natalie Hsu (My First Of May), Zhang Ziyi (She’s Got No Name) and Fala Chen (Peg O’ My Heart) in the category.
The Best Actress win was Liew’s first at the HKFA, after winning Best Supporting Actress for her role as late Hong Kong diva Anita Mui’s elder sister Ann Mui in the biographical film Anita (2021).
“I was really scared of being in the spotlight despite being regarded as the front runner,” she said during her acceptance speech. “I’m drawn to things that are my deepest fears, but I just want to give them a try. I believe you live only once.”
The biggest winner at the HKFA was crime thriller Sons Of The Neon Night, which won eight awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Alex To, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. The film had the most nominations – 12 – before the ceremony.
Ciao UFO won five awards, including Best Film and Best Director, at the Hong Kong Film Awards on April 19.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE CHINESE FILM FESTIVAL
The Best Film award went to Ciao UFO, a nostalgic drama about three childhood friends who take different paths in life after a sighting of an unidentified flying object in 1985. The movie also won four other awards, including Best Director for Patrick Leung and Best Supporting Actress for Michelle Wai.
Taiwanese actress Shu Qi clinched Best New Director for her directorial debut Girl, while Hong Kong actress Elizabeth Tang won Best New Performer for her role in the coming-of-age romance Girlfriends.
Hong Kong time-travel film Back To The Past, which had 11 nominations going into the ceremony, went home empty-handed.
