Notable Asian Directors and Actors at ASIAN CINERAMA in Hong Kong in Person
Eight outstanding nominated films of the 16th Asian Film Awards were screened in Hong Kong. The theatre was full for many sessions, and the atmosphere was hot!
The Asian Cinerama is presented by the Asian Film Awards Academy, in collaboration with MOViE MOViE, and financially supported by Create Hong Kong and the Film Development Fund. Eight outstanding nominated films of the 16th Asian Film Awards were screened in Hong Kong. World-class filmmaking masters Lav DIAZ, HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke, KORE-EDA Hirokazu, and Darezhan OMIRBAYEV had visited Hong Kong and greet the audience at the post-screening session. In addition, YIM Si-wan (Emergency Declaration); and Happy SALMA & director Kamila ANDINI (Before, Now & Then) also attended screenings to represent their nominated films.
The event features all five Best Film nominees: Decision to Leave, Drive My Car, The Poet (The first Best Film nominee from Kazakhstan), Indian period epic Ponniyin Selvan: Part I and Filipino social drama When the Waves Are Gone. The selection also included Broker (nominated for Best Director), Before, Now & Then (five nominations including Best Actress), and Emergency Declaration (nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress).
The public sale of “Broker” and “Drive My Car” were completely sold out within a few hours. Film directors from Japan, KORE-EDA Hirokazu and HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke had attended the post-screening talk as scheduled, the audience responded very enthusiastically, and ask both directors different questions directly. When director KORE-EDA Hirokazu was asked the reason about “Broker” had an open ending, the director explained that the ending was not written when the script is done in the first version, and the ending in the film was decided at the lastest stage. The director didn’t want the film to end with a mother-child reunion, but was more concerned about how other charaters around him cherished and cared for the baby. This open ending allow audience to participate. They can imagine that the characters are still living in somewhere, and continue to think and care about the future of the baby.
KORE-EDA Hirokazu also mentioned that this is the second film with BAE Doo-na after “Air Doll”. The director likes her gesture of put the flower into the car especially. He is also thinking about how to allow BAE Doo-na to play her acting with her hand when he writes the script.
In the post-screening talk of “Drive My Car”, director HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke shared the reason in the original novel of “Drive My Car” that attracted his attention. The first is the process of the protagonist gradually exploring himself and changing his mood from confusion, In addition, there are wonderful dialogues, many lines in the movie are directly extracted from the original text of the novel. So films is between the novel and the documentary.
Films are created through the performance of actors and the creation of atmosphere; it made the audience believes that the film is true. But as an audience, we always realize that the film is fiction. Instead of this, I will tell the audience that this is a story, and through the elaborate creation, it may make audience feel that the story may have actually happened in this world.
Also, Lav DIAZ, director of “When the Wave Are Gone” – attended the sharing session, moderated by Dr. Derek LAM. Lav DIAZ, the Best Screenplay nominee of AFA16, mentioned that his inspiration of creation is mostly from nature; and he sometimes likes street settings too. He also said that the context of the character and freedom of creativity are very important in terms of filmmaking.
Moderated by film critic Patrick SUEN, together with the director Kamila ANDINI, actress Happy SALMA, and cinematographer Batara GOEMPAR of “Before, Now & Then”, the post-screening talk went well with passionate audience. AFA16 Best Actress nominee Happy SALMA shared her mixed feelings regarding the character’s emotion changing parts after first receiving the script. She also mentioned Kamila ANDINI, the director has prepared well for the production that ensures her sincereness of performance.
On top of it, South Korean superstar Yim Si-Wan joined us for the post-screening sharing of EMERGENCY DECLARATION. During the sharing, the fans’ cheering was on fire!
Josie LIN, Executive Director of Asian Film Awards Academy, says, “I’m thrilled to have these incredible nominated films of the 16th Asian Film Awards screened at our special programme – Asian Cinerama before the Awards Ceremony. Not only can audiences get to see these incredible films on the big screen, but they also get to meet the nominees in person at the post-screening section. This is a rare opportunity.”
Joycelyn Choi, General Manager of MOViE MOViE, says, “Asian films have been getting increasingly more attention on the world stage, and we are proud to collaborate with the Asian Film Awards Academy again to present this special edition of Asian Cinerama. It is very uplifting for the film industry and cinemas, which were so badly hit by the pandemic, to welcome so many internationally acclaimed master filmmakers and movie stars to join our screenings and meet the Hong Kong audiences in cinemas.
Asian Film Awards Academy was pleased to continue to actively prepare different film events around the world, introduce great Asian films to people from all over the world, reach a wider audience, expand the film market within Asia, demonstrate the work environments of film industries in different countries and raise people’s awareness for this, promote cultural exchange and encourage audience to appreciate diversity through films.
