9th Asian Film Awards Nominations

Recently the Asian Film Awards Academy announced the 74 nominations of 42 films from eight (8) countries. Winners will be selected by a jury that comprises 14 film industry professionals and critics; the awards ceremony will be held on March 25 at The Venetian Theatre in Macao.

Inaugurated in 2007, the Asian Film Awards celebrates excellence in Asian cinema through the annual presentation of awards to the many diverse talents and films that make up the dynamic film industries of the region. Founded by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival in late 2013, the AFA Academy aims to promote, develop and enrich Asian cinema, its talents and audiences by organizing the AFA and a diversity of other programs across Asia through working closely with film, arts and culture partners from around the world. This year AFA received over a thousand films from 34 countries across Asia.

Ann Hui's The Golden Era leads the pack with five nominations but not one for best film, which for me is very strange. In second place of the ranking there were many films with four nominations, including Black Coal Thin Ice, Blind Massage, Haider, Hill of Freedom and more. Perhaps more revealing is to learn that Chinese (including Hong Kong) productions lead the 2015 awards with 26 nominations followed by Japan with 17 and South Korea with 16.

Best Film
白日焰火 Bai ri yan huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice), Yi'nan Diao, China
推拿 Tui Na (Blind Massage), Lou Ye, China and France
Haider, Vishal Bhardwaj, India
자유의 언덕 Ja-yu-eui eon-deok (Hill Of Freedom), Hong Sang-soo, Korea
국제시장 Gug-je-si-jang (Ode To My Father), Yoon Je-kyoon, Korea
そこのみにて光輝く Soko nomi nite hikari kagayaku (The Light Shines Only There), Mipo Oh, Japan

Best Director
Lou Ye for 推拿 Tui Na (Blind Massage), China and France
Tsukamoto Shinya for Nobi (Fires On The Plain), Japan
Lav Diaz for Mula sa kung ano ang noon (From What Is Before), Philippines
Vishal Bhardwaj for Haider, India
Hong Sang-soo for 자유의 언덕 Ja-yu-eui eon-deok (Hill Of Freedom), Korea
Ann Hui for 黄金时代 Huang jin shi dai (The Golden Era), Hong Kong and China

Best Actress
Bae Doo-na in 도희야 Dohee-ya (A Girl At My Door), July Jung, Korea
Gong Li in 归来 Gui lai (Coming Home), Zhang Yimou, China
Zhao Wei in 亲爱的 Qin ai de (Dearest), Hong Kong and China
Kalki Koechlin in Margarita, With A Straw, Shonali Bose and NIlesh Maniyar, India
Miyazawa Rie in 紙の月 Kami no tsuki (Pale Moon), Japan
Tang Wei in黄金时代 Huang jin shi dai (The Golden Era), Ann Hui, Hong Kong and China

Best Actor
Liao Fan in白日焰火 Bai ri yan huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice), Yi'nan Diao, China
Kase Ryo in자유의 언덕 Ja-yu-eui eon-deok (Hill Of Freedom), Hong Sang-soo, Korea
Sean Lau Ching-wan in Overheard 3, Felix Chong and Alan Mak, Hong Kong and China
Ethan Ruan in Jun zhong le yuan (Paradise In Service), Taiwan and China
Choi Min-sik in 명량 Myeong-ryangm heui-o-ri ba-da (The Admiral: Roaring Currents), Kim Han-min, Korea
Satoh Takeru in るろうに剣心 伝説の最期編 Rurôni Kenshin: Densetsu no saigo-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends), Keishi Ohtomo, Japan

Jury
President: Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting, Hong Kong
Celebrity Jury: Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, Hong Kong
Alberto Barbera, Italy
Christian Jeune, France
Li Cheuk-to, Hong Kong
Clarence Tsui, Hong Kong
John Badalu Jury Indonesia
Bessho Tetsuya, Japan
Ishizaka Kenji, Japan
Huh Moon-young, Korea
Kim Ji-seok , Korea
Li Shao-hong, China
Ronald Arguelles, Philippines
Jeane HUANG, Taiwan

Among the jurors perhaps the most known to us is the Director of the Venice International Film Festival, Alberto Barbera.  To check nominees in all categories go official site here.

Check the CCTV video with the news.