On the evening of April 27th, local time, the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Cultural Center, where 19 awards were announced. Veteran artist Sean Lau won the Best Actor award for his performance in the Hong Kong film “Father,” beating strong competitors like Louis Koo and Raymond Lam to claim his fourth Best Actor title at the Hong Kong Film Awards. The Best Actress award went to Chloe Maayan for her role in “Purgatory,” while the film “Walled City” took home nine major awards including Best Film, Director, Cinematography, Art Direction, Editing, and Action Design, making it the biggest winner of the night.
Adapted from the real events of the “2010 Tsuen Wan Ying Wah Street matricide” case in Hong Kong, “Father” tells the story of a surviving father coping with the immense pain of losing loved ones, learning to forgive his son who suffers from schizophrenia, and striving harder than ever to live up to being a “father.” Sean Lau portrays the character of “Yung Ninuen,” who runs a cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style eatery) and embodies both the victim’s family and the perpetrator’s family, creating a complex portrayal of the character’s confusion and trauma. His performance has been praised as “flawless, the best performance of his career.”
Last month, Sean Lau won the Asian Film Awards for the first time for his role in “Father,” beating out Louis Koo in “Purgatory,” Koji Yakusho in “Enemy of Life,” Choi Min-sik in “Tomb Raider,” and Eddie Peng in “Undercover.”
At 61 years old, Sean Lau has been nominated for the Best Actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards 18 times since he started his acting career in 1983, making him the male actor with the most nominations for Best Actor in the history of the Hong Kong Film Awards. He has been nominated twice in 1994, 2012, and 2015, and has won the Best Actor award three times for “2 Become 1” in 2006, “Overheard 3” in 2015, and “Detective Clash” in 2023. He also won the Best Actor award at the Golden Horse Awards in 2012 for his performance in “Cold War.”
Best Film: “Walled City”
Best Director: Benny Cheng for “Walled City”
Best Actor: Sean Lau for “Father”
Best Actress: Chloe Maayan for “Purgatory”
Best Supporting Actor: Julian Cheung for “Purgatory”
Best Supporting Actress: Koo Tsugumi for “Father”
Best New Performer: So Man-to for “Father”
Best New Director: Robin Lee for “Four Paths in Hong Kong”
Best Visual Effects: Lam Chun-yu, Ma Chi-fu, Lam Kar-lok, Yu Kwok-leung for “Walled City”
Best Art Direction: Mak Kwok-keung, Chau Sai-hung for “Walled City”
Best Costume Design: Yu Ka-on, Ip Ka-yan for “Walled City”
Best Cinematography: Cheng Siu-keung for “Walled City”
Professional Spirit Award: Kang Xiao-liang, Han Dongqing (veteran voice actors)
Best Action Design: Yuen Tak for “Walled City”
Best Screenplay: Chan Maowin, Cheng Weiji for “Purgatory”
Best Asian Chinese-Language Film: “Cunning Old Fox”
Lifetime Achievement Award: Tsui Hark, Alfred Cheung
Best Editing: Cheung Ka-fai for “Walled City”
Best Original Film Music: Zhu Yun for “Purgatory”
Best Original Film Song: “Salvation of All Beings” by Lin Jiaqian for “Purgatory”
Best Sound Effects: Yao Chun-hin, Cheung Man-kit, Du Benli for “Walled City”