Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (right) reacts online after winning the Best Actor Award for the movie 'The Goldfinger' as his wife and actress Carina Lau (left) addresses the audience at the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 14, 2024. Photo: AP
There were no major surprises at the 42th Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) on April 14, as hot favourites Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Jennifer Yu clinched the top acting awards at the ceremony held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Leung, 61, won Best Actor for a record sixth time for his role as flamboyant con man Henry Ching in crime drama The Goldfinger, which is set in the 1980s and also stars Andy Lau, Charlene Choi and Simon Yam.
This was Leung’s 12th nomination for Best Actor at the HKFA. He notched his last win in 2005 for his role as a cynical writer in director Wong Kar Wai’s romance movie 2046 (2004).
The Goldfinger was also the biggest winner of the night with six wins, including Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costume & Makeup Design.
Leung, sporting a crew cut, was featured via video link as he is filming in Germany. The star half-covered his face before smiling when his name was announced by the presenters, actress Anita Yuen and actor Louis Koo.
Leung’s wife, Hong Kong actress Carina Lau, accepted the award on stage on his behalf.
“When Tony Leung wins awards, I know many people will say it’s him again, and that he should give the chances to other people,” Lau, 58, said. “But I feel that he is really a great actor after being with him for so many years.”
Leung reacted to his wife’s compliment by saying: “Don’t say it this way. I am just a good actor.”
Yu, 30, won Best Actress for the social-themed drama In Broad Daylight, where she played an investigative journalist who goes undercover to expose the abuse taking place in a nursing home.
This was her first win at the HKFA and her fourth award for the role after nabbing Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards, Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild Awards and Hong Kong Online Film Critic Highlight Awards. She was also nominated for Best Leading Actress for the role at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards in November 2023.
In Broad Daylight also won Best Supporting Actor for David Chiang, 76, and Best Supporting Actress for Rachel Leung, 30.
Chiang, a former child actor who has been in the entertainment industry for more than 70 years, received a standing ovation when he went on stage to receive the award.
This was Chiang’s first award at the HKFA, and he beat strong contenders in the category, such as Taiwanese actor Wu Kang-jen (for Fly Me To The Moon), who won Best Leading Actor at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards in November 2023 (for Abang Adik).
The Best Film award was given to legal drama A Guilty Conscience, while the Best Director gong went to Soi Cheang for mystery crime thriller Mad Fate.
Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung, 72, received the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Best New Performer went to Yoyo Tse, 22, for coming-of-age drama Fly Me To The Moon. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
