HONG KONG (AP) 鈥� Action-packed police thriller 鈥淩aging Fire鈥� won best film and three other awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards Sunday, beating out a crowd favorite film about late Cantopop singer Anita Mui.
The 40th Hong Kong Film Awards took place Sunday, after it was postponed thrice from April following the city鈥檚 biggest COVID-19 outbreak. It was also the first time that the awards were held in-person since 2019.
鈥淩aging Fire鈥� sees action star Donnie Yen play an incorruptible policeman who ends up going head-to-head with a former mentee played by Nicholas Tse, who wants revenge after Yen鈥檚 character put him in prison.
The movie is a swansong by director Benny Chan, who died of cancer in August 2020 while the movie was still in post-production.
Chan posthumously won the Best Director Award on Sunday. 鈥淩aging Fire鈥� also won for Best Editing as well as Best Action Choreography.
The film that took home the most awards for the night was 鈥淎nita,鈥� a biographical drama film about Mui.
鈥淎nita,鈥� which was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film in 2021, bagged a total of five awards for Best Costume and Design, Best Visual Effects as well as Best Sound Design.
The film topped the box office in Hong Kong upon release, eventually grossing $18.5 million in total box office sales. It topped the Hong Kong box office upon debut, grossing some 61 million Hong Kong dollars ($7.8 million) in about seven weeks.
鈥淎nita鈥� also earned more than 10 million yuan ($1.48 million) on its opening day at the Chinese box office.
Louise Wong, who played Mui in the film, won Best New Performer.
鈥淗onestly, it wasn鈥檛 a day (or) overnight that I could play the role Anita,鈥� said Wong. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful for the team鈥檚 support and encouragement."
鈥淭hey helped me gradually understand Anita and the role,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very grateful that I could experience her life.鈥�
Malaysian actor Fish Liew, who played Mui鈥檚 sister Ann Mui, won Best Supporting Actress.
Another big winner at Sunday鈥檚 awards was crime thriller film 鈥淟imbo鈥� which is based on the novel Wisdom Tooth by Chinese author Lei Mi. The film follows two policemen in their efforts to hunt down a serial killer.
The film won Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.
Cya Liu, who played a drug addict who becomes a target for the serial killer, won Best Actress for her portrayal of the role.
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful for the chance to perform in this movie and for director Soi Cheang鈥檚 trust and recognition,鈥� said Liu.
"With his encouragement, I could completely engage in playing the role and act. Today is the first time in my life ... that I feel the recognition as an actress.鈥�
Meanwhile, 85-year-old Patrick Tse took home the award for best actor for his performance in the film 鈥淭ime,鈥� which centers on the city's neglected elderly population. He was given a standing ovation while receiving his award.
Comedian and actor Michael Hui was also presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the comedy genre in Hong Kong's film industry.
The Associated Press
