Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In has emerged as the runaway victor at this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards, collecting nine prizes including best film and best director, in a resounding endorsement of the director’s gritty vision of 1980s Kowloon Walled City.
Set in the chaotic, labyrinthine slums of one of the world’s most densely populated enclaves, Cheang’s martial arts thriller also swept up accolades in multiple technical categories. These included best editing, cinematography, art direction, costume and make-up design, sound design, visual effects and action choreography—highlighting the film’s visceral aesthetic and technical precision.
The director’s winning streak follows his best director nod at last year’s awards for the noir-tinged thriller Mad Fate.
Also enjoying a strong showing was The Last Dance, a genre-bending dramedy about a Taoist priest and a wedding planner who team up to start a funerals business. The film, which has become the highest-grossing Hong Kong release of all time with over US$20m at the domestic box office, won five awards including best screenplay, best actress for Michelle Wai, best supporting actor for Chu Pak-hong, and prizes for both original film score and song.
Sean Lau Ching-wan took home best actor for his role in Papa, a sombre family drama from director Philip Yung. Lau plays a father grappling with the horrific actions of his teenage son, who murders his mother and sister. The film also earned Jo Koo Cho-lam best supporting actress and newcomer Dylan So an award for his unsettling portrayal of the troubled son.
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In the documentary category, Robin Lee was named best new director for Four Trails, which chronicles the endurance-defying ultra-marathon across Hong Kong’s four major hiking trails.
The award for best Asian Chinese-language film went to Old Fox, Hsiao Ya-chuan’s tender coming-of-age tale set in 1980s Taiwan.
Capping off the night, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to director Tsui Hark and producer Nansun Shi. The pair, co-founders of the influential Film Workshop, were recognised for their decades-long contributions to Hong Kong cinema, with credits spanning from the 1984 classic Shanghai Blues to this year’s Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants.
