Kowloon, Hong Kong: At the 18th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, legends of Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese, and Korean cinema walked the red carpet. But it was two Indian films that stole the spotlight.
On Sunday night, Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light won ‘Best Film’, edging out tough competition from Black Dog (China), Exhuma (South Korea), Teki Cometh (Japan), and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Hong Kong).
The awards ceremony took place at the Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, Sandhya Suri’s film Santosh also made a strong impact. Shahana Goswami won ‘Best Actress’, while director Suri secured a big win in the ‘Best New Director’ category.
The Asian Film Awards showcased 30 outstanding films from 25 countries and regions, competing across 16 categories. South Korean horror Exhuma, with 11 nominations, became the most-nominated film of the year. Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, the film blended feng shui and traditional shamanism to reveal the secret of an ominous grave. It also marked the return of legendary actor Choi Min-sik to the big screen.
Exhuma was nominated in multiple categories, including 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.
All We Imagine As Light, a French-Indian-Dutch-Luxembourgish co-production, was nominated for six categories. Indian filmmaker Kapadia, who made history as the first Indian female director to win the Cannes Grand Prix, had directed the film, which depicted the struggles and hopes of three women in Mumbai amid challenging circumstances. The film had secured nominations for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Editing, with Kapadia herself receiving nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay.
After winning the award, Kapadia walked in with her team to the winner’s hall at the Xiqu Centre, where she described how “pleased” and “honoured” she felt.
“Asian cinema is so big… such amazing work coming out from Asia. And we’re just so honoured to be part of that community, especially here, because the community is celebrated,” she said.
Asked if she faced any challenges while shooting the film, she remarked that making movies is always challenging. “Every film, just that it gets made, is a surprise, because it’s so difficult to make movies… Every time, it’s a challenge to be able to find the financing, to find the right collaborators, to keep the visions intact, and to be able to make the movie, and then distribute the movie,” she said.
Santosh revolves around a newly widowed housewife (Goswami), who inherits her late husband’s job as a police constable, and finds herself entangled in the investigation of a young girl’s murder. The film is a joint production by Indian, UK, French and German filmmakers.
After winning the Best Actress award, Goswami shared that she was quite nervous before taking on the role, and unsure if she would be able to do justice to Santosh’s character.
Other nominees in the Best Actress category included Kani Kusruti (All We Imagine As Light), Sylvia Chang (Daughter’s Daughter), Yumi Kawai (Desert of Namibia), and Kim Go-eun (Exhuma).
Expressing her gratitude, Goswami said, “I would like to thank myself, too. I feel that I have always been underconfident and never given myself enough credit. So, I want to thank the Asian Film Awards Academy for believing in me.”
Japanese filmmaker Daihachi Yoshida beat Kapadia to win Best Director for Teki Cometh, which is based on Yasutaka Tsutsu’s novel.
The film follows Gisuke, a retired professor living alone after his wife’s passing, and how he contemplates taking his own life as he nears the end of his savings.
Koji Yakusho, the second Japanese actor to win Best Actor at Cannes for Perfect Days, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
Also Read: ‘A female director doesn’t mean no male gaze’—Kani Kusruti is so much more than All We Imagine