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.
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
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.
Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a still from “The Goldfinger”.
The 2024 winners will be decided by a jury headed by Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, whose espionage drama Wife of a Spy was named best picture in the awards’ 2021 edition.
They will be announced on March 10 at a ceremony at the Grand Theatre in the Xiqu Centre, West Kowloon.
The full list of nominations is as follows:
Best film
12.12: The Day (South Korea), Evil Does Not Exist (Japan), Paradise (Sri Lanka, India), Perfect Days (Japan), Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
A still from “Snow Leopard”, directed by Pema Tseden.
Best director
Kim Sung-soo (12.12: The Day), Gu Xiaogang (Dwelling by the West Lake), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Evil Does Not Exist), Hirokazu Koreeda (Monster), Prasanna Vithanage (Paradise)
Best actor
Hwang Jung-min (12.12: The Day), Wu Kang-ren (Abang Adik), Shen Teng (Full River Red), Koji Yakusho (Perfect Days), Tony Leung Chiu-wai (The Goldfinger)
Best actress
Jiang Qinqin (Dwelling by the West Lake), Jung Yu-mi (Sleep), Zhou Dongyu (The Breaking Ice), Audrey Lin (Trouble Girl), Rinko Kikuchi (Yoko)
Zhou Dongyu in a still from “The Breaking Ice”.
Best supporting actor
Park Hoon (12.12: The Day), Jack Tan (Abang Adik), Shido Nakamura (Kubi), Park Jung-min (Smugglers), Sean Wong (Time Still Turns the Pages)
Best supporting actress
Minami Hamabe (Godzilla Minus One), Rachel Leung (In Broad Daylight), Mariko Tsutsui (Last Shadow at First Light), Go Min-si (Smugglers), Wan Fang (Snow in Midsummer)
Best new director
Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir (City of Wind), Pham Thien An (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell), Dominic Sangma (Rapture), Amanda Nell Eu (Tiger Stripes), Nick Cheuk (Time Still Turns the Pages)
Sean Wong Tsz-lok in a still from “Time Still Turns the Pages”.
Best newcomer
Tergel Bold-Erdene (City of Wind), Awat Ratanapintha (Doi Boy), Yoyo Tse (Fly Me to the Moon), Wang Yibo (Hidden Blade), Mihaya Shirata (Last Shadow at First Light)
Best screenplay
Evil Does Not Exist, Monster, Paradise, Sleep, Snow Leopard
Best editing
12.12: The Day, Evil Does Not Exist, Only the River Flows, Paradise, Time Still Turns the Pages
Zhu Yilong in a still from “Only the River Flows”.
Best cinematography
12.12: The Day, Evil Does Not Exist, Only the River Flows, Qas, Snow Leopard
Best original music
Dwelling by the West Lake, Evil Does Not Exist, Qas, Rapture, Road to Boston
