Director Wong Kar-wai dominated the Hong Kong Film Awards last night, with his martial arts epic The Grandmaster scooping 12 prizes - including best film, best director and best actress.
The film is inspired by the life of Ip Man - the mentor of legendary kung fu star Bruce Lee.
But it missed out on the best actor award, which went to Nick Cheung Ka-fai for his role in Unbeatable. It was the second time Cheung had taken the title. He won in 2009 for his role in The Beast Stalker. In Unbeatable, directed by Dante Lam, Cheung plays a mixed martial arts fighter in a tale that's all about conquering life's hardships.
The Grandmaster also missed out on the award for best visual effects, which went to Enoch Chan for Rigor Mortis.
It was Wong's third best director gong at the awards.
"I am very proud to be part of Hong Kong's cinema industry. I also owe my success to my crew members. Without their contribution, the film couldn't have been so successful," he said.
Wong added that he was optimistic about the future of the film industry in Hong Kong. "Film-making is like kung fu. We should have faith in it," he said.
Mainland star Zhang Ziyi took the best actress award for her role in The Grandmaster, after winning the same title at last month's Asian Film Awards in Macau.
The film also won titles for best supporting actor (Zhang Jin); best cinematography (Philippe Le Sourd); best editing (William Chang Suk-ping, Benjamin Courtiness and Poon Hung-yiu); best art direction (William Chang Suk-ping and Alfred Yau Wai-ming); best costume and make-up design (William Chang Suk-ping); best screenplay (Zou Jingzhi, Xu Haofeng and Wong Kar-wai); best sound design (Robert Mackenzie and Traithep Wongpaiboon); best original film score (Shigeru Umebayashi and Nathaniel Mechaly); and best action choreography (Yuen Wo-ping).
The best supporting actress award went to Kara Wai Ying-hung for her role in Rigor Mortis.
The Way We Dance, made with the support of the government's Film Development Fund, also caught the eye of critics. Adam Wong Sau-ping was best new director. And Babyjohn Choi won the best new performer award. Its theme song won the best original film song award.
Additional reporting by Ng Kang-chung
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1481397/martial-arts-epic-grandmaster-scoops-12-prizes-hong-kong-film-awards
