Asian Film Awards 2023 nominations: Decision to Leave, Drive My Car lead race; Hong Kong cinema represented by five movies
- Korean director Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave receives 10 nominations for the awards, which cover 19 months of cinema after 2022 ceremony was postponed
- Five Hong Kong films received nominations, with Tony Leung and Silvia Chang nominated for best actor and best actress
With the 2022 awards ceremony having been postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the current edition covers 19 months of film releases, and has thrown up some unexpected contests between top contenders.
Rounding out the best picture race are Kazakhstan’s Poet, Indian historical epic Ponniyin Selvan: Part I, and Filipino director Lav Diaz’s When the Waves Are Gone.
Hong Kong cinema is represented by five films; notably, there is a best actor nomination for Tony Leung Chiu-wai for his role as an infamous corrupt policeman in Where the Wind Blows, and a best actress nod for Sylvia Chang Ai-chia for her portrayal of a grieving widow in A Light Never Goes Out.
The 2023 winners will be decided by a jury headed by China’s Zhang Yimou, who was named best director for One Second at the awards’ last edition in 2021. They will be announced on March 12 at a ceremony at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Auditorium in the Hong Kong Palace Museum, West Kowloon.
