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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film
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Golden Horse Awards: Hong Kong’s Nick Cheuk wins best new director for tragic drama Time Still Turns the Pages

  • Up-and-coming director earns nod at top film awards in Taiwan for his socially conscious drama about family trauma and student suicide
  • Hong Kong director Ho Sze-wai won the award for best live action short for her 30-minute film Before the Box Gets Emptied

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Hong Kong filmmaker Nick Cheuk has won best new director at the 60th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan. Photo: Reuters
Fiona Chow

Hong Kong filmmaker Nick Cheuk Yik-him has won best new director at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards for his socially conscious drama Time Still Turns the Pages about family trauma and student suicide.

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During his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony in Taipei on Saturday night, Cheuk paid tribute to the friend whose suicide inspired his first feature.

“I would like to thank my friend who is resting in heaven,” he said. “I know I will never be able to return to that night and give my friend a hug before he went, but I wish that those who choose to stay behind may each feel a hug.”

Hong Kong’s Sean Wong in a still from Time Still Turns the Pages. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong’s Sean Wong in a still from Time Still Turns the Pages. Photo: Handout

Cheuk also thanked his girlfriend for staying by his side and supporting him as he struggled with the strain of making the film.

“When I was shooting the movie, I was … diagnosed with depression,” he said. “But I thank my girlfriend, whose beautiful soul walked me through the darkness.”

His film was nominated for the grand prize – best narrative film – but the award went to the Taiwanese feature Stonewalling, directed by Ryuji Otsuka and Huang Ji.

Actress Yoyo Tse came away with best new performer. Photo: AP
Actress Yoyo Tse came away with best new performer. Photo: AP
The other nominated films by young Hong Kong directors were Lawrence Kan Kwan-chun’s In Broad Daylight (with five nods, including Jennifer Yu Heung-ying for best leading actress), Norris Wong Yee-lam’s The Lyricist Wannabe (with two, including Chung Suet-ying for lead actress) and Sasha Chuk Tsz-yin’s Fly Me to the Moon, whose Yoyo Tse won best new performer.
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