Posted: Fri., Mar. 9, 2007, 2:45pm PT

Asian Film Awards aims for glam

Hong Kong org looks to boost regional filmmaking

By Vicki Rothrock

TIP SHEET
What:
Filmart, March 20-23
HAF, March 20-22
Asian Film Awards, March 20
Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival, March 20-April 11
Where: Hong Kong

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The inaugural Asian Film Awards will bring a touch of glamour to the eight-event Entertainment Expo.

Organized by the Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival Society, the kudos, which debut March 20, honor regional pics and talent.

The awards create "a platform for the heroes and heroines of Asia to get together," says Wilfred Wong, Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival Society chairman.

While Hong Kong already had Filmart, the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) and the film fest, the Asian Film Awards help to fill the void of a missing competition element.

The awards are particularly important because there often is only one opportunity for Asian pics to win an Oscar -- as a foreign film -- so this provides another forum for the region, Wong says.

"It is a fitting time for Asian filmmakers to be recognized," Wong adds, given the region's active industry.

The Hong Kong government funds 50% of the show, while the rest comes from the festival and main sponsor Deutsche Bank.

No stranger to financial woes, the fest now has a HK$4.5 million ($576,000) surplus after being corporatized for three years, Wong says. Commercial support for the fest also has increased substantially, he adds.

Once money from the government was secured, the fest started organizing the awards show last November, which has created "a very rapid run-up to the whole event," Wong observes, adding that the "response has been overwhelming."

As of the end of February, 75% of nominees have confirmed their attendance.

Idea for a pan-Asian awards gala came last summer from the film festival as a way to make it truly international, Wong says, adding that Hong Kong was a natural choice as the host.

Regional co-productions are on the rise. In Hong Kong, the majority of pics partner with China while the Special Administrative Region also serves as the gateway to China for others seeking a foothold in the territory. Hong Kong's long-standing film tradition -- including successful Hollywood exports such as John Woo -- also made it a no-brainer to host the affair, says Wong.

The show will be held in Hall 3 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, which holds 5,000 people. The invite list also includes buyers from Filmart as well as other Entertainment Expo events.

While the awards show is part of the expo's opening gala, it isn't officially part of the Entertainment Expo as a breakout event.

Raymond Yip, director of service promotion of Hong Kong's Trade Development Council, which organizes the expo, says it isn't critical for it to be part of the expo. It would have been preferable, he adds, but there wasn't enough time to include it as an event under the expo umbrella.

Organizers are now negotiating with free-to-air and paybox channels across the region to broadcast the star-studded event.

TOP NOMINATIONS

FILM
"Curse of the Golden Flower"
"Exiled"
"The Host"
"Love and Honor"
"Opera Jawa"
"Still Life"

DIRECTOR
Hong Sang-soo, "Woman on the Beach"
Jia Zhangke, "Still Life"
Jafar Panahi, "Offside"
Johnnie To, "Exiled"
Tsai Ming-liang, "I Don't Want to Sleep Alone"
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, "Syndromes and a Century"

ACTOR
Chang Chen, "The Go Master"
Rain (Jeong Ji-hoon), "I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK"
Shahrukh Khan, "Don"
Andy Lau, "A Battle of Wits"
Song Kang-ho, "The Host"
Ken Watanabe, "Memories of Tomorrow"

ACTRESS
Gong Li, "Curse of the Golden Flower"
Kim Hye-soo, "Tazza: The High Rollers"
Lim Soo-jung, "I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK"
Rie Miyazawa, "Hana"
Miki Nakatani, "Memories of Matsuko"
Ziyi Zhang, "The Banquet"
Full list of noms at society.hkiff.org.hk