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Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In swept the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) scoring nine wins including best film, best director and all the technical categories.

The big-budget action thriller, which recreated the now demolished Kowloon City in 1980s Hong Kong, scooped prizes for best cinematography, editing, art direction, costume and makeup design, action choreography, sound design and visual effects.

The $40m feature received its international premiere at Cannes last year, was the second biggest film at the local box office in 2024 with takings of nearly $14m (Hk$108.44m) and was Hong Kong’s entry to the Oscars.

Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance leads the pack going into the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) with 18 nominations.

It is followed by Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In with 14 nods and Philip Yung’s Papa with 11 nominations. All three films will face off alongside Adam Wong’s The Way We Talk and Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, in both the best film and best director categories.

The 18 nominations secured by The Last Dance is the highest in Hkfa’s history since Teddy Chen’s Assassins And Bodyguards received the same number in 2010. Chan...

Get ready for an exciting celebration of Asian cinema! Besides the awards ceremony, the 18th Asian Film Awards presents a series of special programmes, including Asian Cinerama, Masterclasses, and the In Conversation series.

A Palette of Cinematic Delights — Asian Cinerama

The Asian Film Cinerama will present a selection of nominated films and special screenings, with filmmakers and actors participating in post-screening Q&As to share their creative journeys. Last year, screenings were a full house, with prominent filmmakers including Japanese master Hirokazu Koreeda, Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithanaga, and China’s award-winning actress Jiang Qinqin discussing their filmmaking experiences. This year, top international filmmakers will return, giving audiences the chance to enjoy the best of Asian cinema on the big screen.

Inspiration from the Legend — Masterclass

Film enthusiasts can attend masterclasses hosted by the biggest names in Asian cinema, diving into the art and philosophy of filmmaking. Last year, the...

Donnie Yen is continuing his return to the director's chair after a 20-year break with The Prosecutor. Having started his career as a stuntman in Hong Kong, Yen first began finding success with the TV adaptation of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury, as well as choreographing and starring in numerous Hollywood action movies, including Blade II. Though having worked as an action director multiple times throughout his career, Yen's list of full directorial efforts is relatively smaller, ranging from 1997's Legend of the Wolf to 2004's Protégé de la Rose Noire, after which he wouldn't direct again until 2023's Sakra.

The Prosecutor sees Yen reteaming with Ip Man franchise writer Edmong Wong and producer Raymond Wong, also centering himself as lead character, Fok Chi-ho, a police detective who, after a gang leader is acquitted of his crimes, elects to become a public prosecutor instead. After joining the Department of Justice,...

South Korea’s Exhuma has topped the field, earning 11 nominations at the 18th Asian Film Awards, followed by Hong Kong’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In with nine nominations.

Hong Kong martial arts legend Sammo Hung will serve as the jury president for the awards, which feature a selection of 30 films from 25 countries and regions, competing across 16 categories. The awards ceremony will take place on March 16 in Hong Kong.

Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, Exhuma gained nominations for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Newcomer, Best Screenplay, Best Original Music, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

Adapted from the novel “City of Darkness” by Yuyi, Hong Kong action blockbuster Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In gained nine nominations, including Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

South Korean box office hit Exhuma and Hong Kong action blockbuster Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In lead the nominations for the 18th Asian Film Awards, with a jury led by martial arts icon Sammo Hung.

Supernatural thriller Exhuma, directed by Jang Jae-hyun, leads the pack with 11 nods followed by Soi Cheang’s action thriller Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, which received nine nominations.

Scroll down for full list of nominations

Both titles were named in the best film category alongside Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine As Light; Guan Hu’s Chinese drama Black Dog,...

The 18th Asian Film Awards, the region’s leading cinema honors, unveiled its 2025 nominations Friday, with South Korea’s horror hit Exhuma leading the pack with 11 nods. Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, the supernatural thriller melds feng shui and shamanistic traditions in a haunting narrative about an ominous grave. The movie was both a critical favorite and a huge theatrical sensation in South Korea, becoming the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. Alongside its best film nomination, the film earned recognition across several major categories, including best director, best actor for Choi Min-sik and best actress for Kim Go-eun.

The Asia Film Awards will return to Hong Kong on March 16 with a glitzy ceremony at the city’s Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District. This year’s lineup of honorees includes 30 films from 25 countries and regions, spanning 16 competitive categories.

The Hong Kong throwback action epic Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,...

Martial arts legend Sammo Hung has been tapped as jury president for the 18th Asian Film Awards, while South Korean supernatural thriller “Exhuma” and Hong Kong action pic “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” dominate the nominations.

South Korean supernatural thriller “Exhuma,” helmed by director Jang Jae-hyun and marking the return of veteran actor Choi Min-sik, leads with 11 nods including best film, director, actor and actress. The film weaves elements of feng shui and traditional shamanism in its story of an ominous grave investigation.

Hong Kong action film “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” follows with nine nominations. Based on Yuyi’s “City of Darkness” novel and set in the 1980s Kowloon Walled City, the film is competing for best film, supporting actor and multiple technical awards.

Soi Cheang’s Hong Kong action film “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” follows with nine nominations. Based on Yuyi’s “City of Darkness...

In Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance, Dayo Wong plays Dominic Ngai, a wedding planner whose life falls apart after the pandemic forces him into the funeral business. This change not only serves as a plot device but also reflects how fragile life is and how we can end up going in unexpected directions during crises.

The film uses nonlinear action telling, combining flashbacks and present-day interactions to increase our understanding of Dominic’s struggles. This method is reminiscent of modern film directors like Noah Baumbach, who use complicated character interactions to explore adult complexities. In traditional stories, the difference between happy weddings and sad funerals creates a compelling tension that makes the story more interesting.

The relationship between Dominic and Master Man Kwok (Michael Hui), a traditionalist whose strict adherence to Taoist practices clashes with Dominic’s more contemporary methods, is at the heart of the narrative. This conflict...

Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance has broken multiple records, rejuvenating the Hong Kong box office after a lacklustre six months since the release of blockbuster Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In.

Just nine days after its opening on November 9, the Hong Kong drama has grossed almost $7.7m (Hk$60m) at the local box office so far.

This includes $1.1m (Hk$8.6m) – or $1.2m (Hk$9.18m) inclusive of Macau – on November 16 alone, surpassing 2016’s Cold War 2 to take the biggest single-day box office for a Hong Kong and Chinese-language film.

The data is provided by Hong Kong Box Office, a...

The Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation is organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy (Afaa), in collaboration with the Singapore Film Society (Sfs), with financial support from the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (Ccidahk), Film Development Fund (Fdf) and Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Hketo) in Singapore.This programme showcases Hong Kong films across various regions in Asia, allowing audiences to explore the new generation of Hong Kong cinema and emerging talents. It also builds strong connections between Hong Kong filmmakers and the Asian film industry, promoting ongoing growth in the sector.

After successful screenings in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Dubai, the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation will hold its grand finale in Singapore from November 20 to 24 at Gv Suntec City. The programme will showcase eight Hong Kong films, kicking off the Singapore premiere of The Last Dance, starring comedy legends Michael Hui and Dayo Wong. Anselm Chan,...

How do you make a lovely, life-affirming film about death that appeals to general audiences just about everywhere? Up-and-coming Hong Kong filmmaker Anselm Chan has the answer in “The Last Dance,” in which a cash-strapped former wedding planner and a stern old Taoist priest become unlikely partners in the funeral business. Boasting an all-star cast headed by Cantonese comedy icons Dayo Wong (“Table for Six”) and Michael Hui playing it mostly straight, Chan’s handsomely crafted third feature is a poignant drama about finding meaning in life from the passing of loved ones and the rituals of final farewells.

This respectful and uplifting journey into Hong Kong’s unique and fascinating funeral traditions opens locally on Nov. 9 and in the U.K. and Ireland on Nov. 15 — just the start of what’s sure to be wide international theatrical exposure.

After making a mark with his rowdy 2021 romcom “Ready or Knot...

The Last Dance, one of the most highly anticipated Hong Kong films of the year, has been acquired for UK and Ireland distribution by Trinity CineAsia from Emperor Motion Pictures.

Trinity CineAsia plan to release the film theatrically on November 15, following its opening in Hong Kong on November 11.

The drama features a starry cast led by Dayo Wong, whose recent hits include Hong Kong’s highest-grossing film A Guilty Conscience and blockbuster Table For Six, alongside veteran Michael Hui, who won best supporting actor at the 2023 Hong Kong Film Awards for Where The Wind Blows.

Wong plays a debt-ridden wedding...

While Furiosa may have made more headlines coming out Cannes Film Festival this year, another actioner at the festival also had our attention. Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, which brings together the epic cast of Louis Koo, Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau, Philip Ng, Tony Wu Tsz Tung, German Cheung, Richie Jen, Wong Tak Pun Kenny, Fish Liew, Chu Pak Hong, Cecilia Choi, Lau Wai Ming, Aaron Kwok, and Sammo Hung, will now arrive in U.S. theaters on August 9. Ahead of the release the first trailer has arrived.

Here’s the synopis: “Many years after the bloody turf war that ushered in an uneasy era of peace in Hong Kong’s underworld, the notorious Kowloon Walled City serves as a fortified, lawless safe haven for gangs and refugees alike. But when a skilled underground fighter runs afoul of the most feared Triad boss in Hong Kong,...

Well Go USA has shared the official trailer and poster for Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, which will open in North American theaters on August 9, 2024.

Many years after the bloody turf war that ushered in an uneasy era of peace in Hong Kong’s underworld, the notorious Kowloon Walled City serves as a fortified, lawless haven for gangs and refugees alike.

But when a skilled underground fighter runs afoul of the most feared Triad boss in Hong Kong, a bounty is placed on his head despite his connections to the leader of the infamous enclave.

As his pursuers violate the tenuous territorial truce to exact their vengeance, the fallout reignites old grudges, bringing decades of building tension to a brutal, bloody boiling point.

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In stars Louis Koo, Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau, Philip Ng, Tony Wu Tsz Tung, German Cheung, Richie Jen, Wong Tak Pun Kenny,...

On March 15th, 2024, one week after the domestic release in Hong Kong, Trinity CineAsia brings The Lyricist Wannabe to UK cinemas, nominated for two 2023 Golden Horse Awards (Best Actress & Best Adapted Screenplay) and for three upcoming 2024 Hong Kong Film Awards. It was also selected as the Closing Film at the 2023 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival and it has just participated in Competition at the 2024 Osaka Asian Film Festival.

Director Norris Wong

As Norris Wong's second feature-length film following her award-winning debut My Prince Edward (2019), this refreshing and lively Hong Kong teenage comedy draws inspiration from Wong's own life. Starring the up-and-coming actress Chung Suet-ying, who is also a real-life Cantopop lyricist, and featuring lyrics of the film's soundtrack composed by Wong herself, The Lyricist Wannabe is about finding where your dream lies …and then having the courage to pursue it.

Synopsis

Uniquely talented high-school student Law Wing-sze (Chung Suet...

There is a common saying about people living in their dreams and having lost touch with reality. With their “head in the clouds”, it is often difficult to communicate with friends and colleagues who do not seem to look beyond their dreams, how it is affecting others and what purpose it has in the long run. This phrase and many other seem to be at the core of director Wylie Chan's 2023 short feature “Life of Cloud”, his overall third directorial effort, which may also serve to highlight his skills as a visual storyteller since it includes various CGI elements to enhance the tale of a person facing the truth about his life.

Life of Cloud is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival

Ever since his childhood, inventor Cheung Tak-hung (Chu Pak-Hong) has been obsessed with the creation of clouds. He has forgotten everything around him, including his friends and family,...

Exclusive: UK distributor Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK rights to Norris Wong’s The Lyricist Wannabe from Hong Kong’s Edko Films and is planning a theatrical release on March 15.

Wong’s second feature following her award-winning debut My Prince Edward (2019) follows a high-school student who is determined to become a successful Cantopop lyricist. But while she works hard to hone her craft, handle rejection and draw inspiration from her personal experiences, nothing seems to go her way.

Chung Suet-ying, an up-and-coming actress who is also a real-life Cantopop lyricist, stars in the film, which features a soundtrack with lyrics composed by Norris Wong. Produced by Wong Hoi (Let It Ghost), the film also stars Ansonbean (Rob N Roll), Tang Lai Ying (Mama’s Affair), Sabrina Ng (Say I Do To Me) and Chu Pak Hong (My Prince Edward).

The UK release will come just one week after the film,...

Emerging film director Kelvin Shum from Hong Kong started his career in theater and short films in Australia and the United States. In 2019, his experimental short “We Shall Overcome” won multiple awards including Best Thriller and Best Director during its run in many film festivals around the world. Praised for its striking visuals, “Deliverance” (2022), a psychological thriller starring Summer Chan and Simon Yam, is his first feature-length film.

In “It Remains”, Shum and Chan are back in bringing us a supernatural horror adventure set in a secluded village on a remote island far away from the busy city. While mourning the death of his girlfriend, Zi Jie, a grief-stricken young waiter keeps getting flashbacks of the car accident that killed her. In an attempt to console him, his three friends take him to a small village hopping nature and the remoteness would enable him to find solace.

Check the interview...

My Prince Edward Cheng Cheng Films Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Norris Wong Writer: Norris Wong Cast: Stephy Tang, Pak Hon Chu, Hee Ching Paw Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 8/26/20 Opens: September 2, 2020 Right up until the mid-1960s, all my single friends and I lived […]

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