MAR | ASIAN FILM AWARDS
The Asian Film Awards has entered its eleventh year and the ceremony was taken place at Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Internationally renowned Chinese director JIA Zhangke served as the Jury President of the 11th Asian Film Awards, and AFA invited Hong Kong actress Karena LAM to be the Celebrity Jury. Japanese veteran actress KIKI Kirin and Hong Kong martial arts choreographer and film director YUEN Woo Ping received Lifetime Achievement Awards in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the Asian film industry over the years. Korean actor, YOO Ah-in, received the “AFA Next Generation” Awards to affirm his continuous breakthrough in the industry.
NOV | YOUNG FILM PROFESSIONALS
To nurture emerging film talent and encourage the international exchange of the Asian film industry, the AFAA’s Young Film Professionals Program presented two internships respectively in Film VFX and Sound with one of Europe’s leading German studios The Post Republic (TPR). Two chosen young professionals undertook a two-month work placement to assist in the production of a US sci-fi and a German animation in TPR’s studios in Berlin, Germany. The Post Republic has been involved in over 150 films, including Oscar winning The Imitation Game (2014) and nominated Omar (2014), Palme d’Or winning Winter Sleep (2014).
NOV | ASIAN CINERAMA
AFAA presented five commercially and critically successful Asian period films at Kyoto HISTORICA International Film Festival (KHIFF) in Japan to illustrate the important role of the period film genre and the changing styles of period films with the rapid advancement of filmmaking techniques and technologies. The Asian Cinerama presented AFA-winning films The Golden Era and The Grandmaster. The Asian Cinerama screenings have been attended by film specialists and prominent post-production professionals that were on the respective films’ production team.
NOV | ASIAN CINERAMA
The Academy presented seven Asian titles of critical acclaim at the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF). The HIFF is a premiere international film festival that has established an exemplary track record of introducing Asian cinema to American and international audiences, annually attracting more than 70,000 in its audience.
AFAA and HIFF also collaborated in presenting the historically game-changing Hong Kong martial arts film Come Drink with Me and a masterclass with the film’s lead actress CHENG Pei Pei, often regarded as the queen of martial arts. Cheng shared her illustrious life as an actress on the world stage and as the first woman wuxia/action star in film history. The masterclass is part of a retrospective dedicated to legendary Chinese filmmaker King Hu at the HIFF.
DEC | JOURNEY TO THE FEST
AFAA cooperate with the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (TGHFF), a festival purely for the public in connection with Taiwans Oscars, to host Student Tour: Journey to the Fest. Twelve Hong Kong undergraduate students who were studying in film-related disciplines were selected to participate in a 7-day film festival journey. The students have experienced the film festival by attending various activities included attending Golden Horse Awards Ceremony and red carpet, interacting with local film professionals, watching films, visiting film production studios, Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, to understand the operation of the film industry.
