The first round of voting for the 44th Hong Kong Film Awards has commenced. According to the latest official list of films released in 2025 for consideration, four eligible films have disappeared from the candidate list, including the movie “Land Mother” starring Fan Bingbing, who recently won Best Actress at the Golden Horse Awards.
The nomination and voting process for the Hong Kong Film Awards are divided into two rounds. The first round involves voting by “Hong Kong Film Awards Electors” (including industry professionals, film critics, film educators, etc.) and a professional jury to select the nominees. The second round includes the “Second-round Professional Jury” and members of certain industry associations (such as directors’ guild, composers’ association, etc.), combining professional evaluations and votes from electors to determine the final winners.
According to the rules of the Hong Kong Film Awards, films must have been shown in commercial theaters with at least 50 seats for at least seven consecutive days and at least five screenings between January 1st and December 31st of the selection year. The criteria for defining a “Hong Kong film,” as explained on the official website of the awards, stipulate that at least one of the directors, production companies, or major creative personnel (such as producers, screenwriters, cinematographers, etc.) must be a Hong Kong permanent resident or a registered Hong Kong company; while individual participants must be permanent residents of Hong Kong.
Reports from Hong Kong media indicate that Fan Bingbing has obtained Hong Kong residency and settled in Hong Kong, becoming what is colloquially known as a “new Hongkonger.” Therefore, “Land Mother” should have been eligible for consideration. Fan Bingbing, who won the Best Actress award at the Golden Horse Awards in late November last year with this film, was also considered a strong contender for the Hong Kong Film Awards, but unexpectedly disappeared from the candidate list.
The other three films described by netizens as “mysteriously disappearing” from the selection list include movies starring Anthony Wong, namely, “Unforgivable Sin” and “Should Be Happy Today,” and “Transporting to the Hospital, Transporting to the Center” starring Gordon Lam.
Regarding the disappearance of the two starring films, Anthony Wong, who was previously blacklisted due to his participation in the “Umbrella Movement,” nonchalantly responded to “Oriental Daily,” saying: “It’s not my concern, do as you please. I am an artist now, not an entertainer. Perhaps in the future, if you want to watch my movies, you have to go abroad.” The director of “Unforgivable Sin,” which received commendations, such as So Yuk-Wa and Ou Zhen-Hao, expressed surprise and dismay, stating that he is currently investigating the reasons for their exclusion.
According to a report by Hong Kong media outlet ReNews, an unnamed Hong Kong film industry insider indicated that the issue has sparked discussions within the industry. They noted that the directors of “Should Be Happy Today” and “Land Mother” are not Hong Kong residents (directed by Chinese-Canadian director Yuen Wing-Kwong and Malaysian director Cheang Pou-Soi, respectively) and were filmed in Canada and Malaysia, respectively. There may still be some room for deliberation, but “Unforgivable Sin” and “Transporting to the Hospital, Transporting to the Center” should undeniably meet the qualifications for the Hong Kong Film Awards.
The industry insider speculated that the issue might involve individual actors, as both “Unforgivable Sin” and “Should Be Happy Today” are led by Anthony Wong, whereas “Land Mother” features Fan Bingbing. It is also possible that certain distributors were the target of scrutiny.
Fan Bingbing, who was embroiled in a tax evasion scandal in 2018, was required by authorities to pay over 880 million RMB in back taxes, fines, and penalties and was exempted from criminal charges. Consequently, she has been unable to work in mainland China. Having settled in Hong Kong and shifted her focus overseas, her Malaysian film “Land Mother,” in which she stars, has mysteriously disappeared from the Hong Kong Film Awards candidate list, leaving many netizens and members of the Hong Kong industry perplexed. As of now, there has been no response from the Hong Kong Film Awards on this matter.