Winners announced for Asian Film Awards

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Ha Jung-woo (left) and Xu Fan, best actor and actress winners respectively, pose with their awards at the backstage of the Fifth Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on Monday, March 21, 2011. [Photo: CFP]

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, the Thailand masterful work by Apichatpong Weerasethakul was awarded Best Film at the 5th Asian Film Awards (AFA), held on 21 March 2011 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The film also won the Palme d’Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, and was the first Asian film to win the award since 1997.

The film tells the story of the last days in the life of an old man in northern Thailand. Painterly beautiful and meditative, Uncle Boonmee is a masterful work on the eternal themes of death and memory.

Veteran South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong took home best director and best screenplay for Poetry. Another South Korean, Ha Jung-woo, won best actor for his role in The Yellow Sea.

Chinese actress Xu Fan won best actress for her role in the earthquake epic Aftershock, which also won for best visual effects.

A total of 14 awards and three special awards were presented at the glamorous ceremony attended by a dazzling ensemble of celebrities, international guests, and prominent figures in film industry.

The winners of the 5th AFA are:

BEST FILM

• UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (Thailand)

BEST DIRECTOR

• LEE Chang-dong / POETRY (South Korea)

BEST ACTOR

• HA Jung-woo / THE YELLOW SEA (South Korea)

BEST ACTRESS

•XU Fan / AFTERSHOCK (Chinese mainland / Hong Kong)

BEST NEWCOMER

• Mark CHAO You-Ting / MONGA (Taiwan)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR