Sean Lau was named Best Actor for his role in the film 'Papa'. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong actor Sean Lau Ching Wan was named Best Actor for a record fifth time by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society on Jan 13. Anthony Wong and Francis Ng have both won three times each.
Hong Kong actress Hedwig Tam clinched her first Best Actress award, while crime action thriller Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In – starring Raymond Lam, Louis Koo and Sammo Hung – was named Best Film.
The winners of the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards were announced on Jan 13. The society said the competition for Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress was especially tight, with the Best Actor and Best Actress winners beating their closest challengers by only one vote each.
The results emerged after nine hours of debate and three rounds of voting.
Lau, 60, won for his role as a father in the drama Papa, which is based on the 2010 Heung Wo Street murder. The film is set in the aftermath of the tragedy as the father navigates survivor guilt and seeks reconciliation with his son, who killed his wife and daughter.
Lau was previously named Best Actor for Full Alert (1997), La Brassiere (2001), Life Without Principle (2011) and Overheard 3 (2014).
The veteran actor edged out Hong Kong actor Neo Yau of The Way We Talk, a film about three young people in the deaf community embarking on their journey of self-discovery. Yau, 34, was nominated for Best Leading Actor for the role at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards in November 2024.
The other contenders for Best Actor were Aaron Kwok (Rob N Roll), Michael Hui (The Last Dance) and Raymond Lam (Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In).
Tam, 34, won Best Actress for her role as a first-time mother coping with several challenges in Montages Of A Modern Motherhood, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Oliver Chan.
She beat Hong Kong actress Chung Suet Ying of The Way We Talk, who won Best Leading Actress at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards in November 2024.
The other contenders for Best Actress were Michelle Wai (The Last Dance), Natalie Hsu (Last Song For You), Sandra Ng (Love Lies) and Jo Koo (Papa).
Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, directed by Hong Kong film-maker Soi Cheang, won Best Film after three rounds of discussions and voting. It beat its closest challenger Papa by a narrow margin, according to the film critics society.
Philip Yung, director of Papa, went on to win Best Director, beating Adam Wong (The Way We Talk) and Wong Siu Pong (Obedience).
Rob N Roll, a heist comedy starring Kwok, Gordon Lam and Richie Jen, won Best Screenplay.
The Last Dance, which explored the meaning of life and death through funeral rituals and was the top-grossing film in Hong Kong in 2024, did not win any major awards.
It was one of the 10 recommended movies by the society, alongside titles such as Papa, The Way We Talk, Rob N Roll and Love Lies. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
