Asian Film Awards 2024 nominations in full: Evil Does Not Exist and 12.12: The Day lead the field; 2 Hong Kong movies earn nods in 3 categories

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist and Korean historical epic 12.12: The Day will vie with three other entries for best film in the 17th Asian Film Awards

Awards ceremony host Hong Kong is well represented, with three nominations for Nick Cheuk’s directorial debut and The Goldfinger starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai

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Jung Woo-sung (centre) in a still from “12.12: The Day”. The film set during a South Korean military coup in 1979, and “Drive My Car” director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist”, lead nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards with six apiece.

Published: 6:04pm, 12 Jan 2024

Korean historical epic 12.12: The Day and Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the field with six nominations apiece in the 17th Asian Film Awards, the organisers announced on Friday.

Director Kim Sung-soo’s 12.12: The Day, which was the highest grossing film in South Korea last year, is an action-packed drama that is based on a real-life military coup in 1979.

Hamaguchi’s latest film was the winner of the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, and continued the director’s hot streak after his last two films, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and Drive My Car, both earned him nominations in previous editions of the Asian Film Awards.

Rounding out the best picture race are Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise, the late Tibetan auteur Pema Tseden’s posthumous release Snow Leopard, and German director Wim Wender’s Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days.

Ryo Nishikawa in a still from “Evil Does Not Exist”.

Two Hong Kong films received three nominations. One of them is the poignant family drama Time Still Turns the Pages by first-time director Nick Cheuk Yik-him, with nominations in the best new director, best editing and best supporting actor categories.

Meanwhile, Tony Leung Chiu-wai is set to make a swift return to the Asian Film Awards ceremony with his best actor nomination for The Goldfinger, after winning the category last year for Where the Wind Blows. The Goldfinger is also nominated for best costume design and best production design.