China Cleans Up at the 9th Asian Film Awards

China's 2014 wave of films triumphed at the 9th Asian Film Awards this week. The AFAs are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society. This year the awards were held at the Venetian Hotel in Macau, and Chinese films nabbed 10 prizes from 14 categories. That’s one award up on last year’s showing.

Gone with the Bullets, follow up to Let the Bullets Fly, landed three awards for best production designer, costume design, and visual effects. It really didn’t have a chance to win anything beyond the technical categories. Blind Massage, from director Lou Ye, won best film and best cinematography. The film used a documentary style with lurching camera movements and blurred textures, helping the story explore the fringe of existence of sight impaired massage therapists as they search for love and stability in Nanjing.

Here’s the complete rundown of the 9th Asian Film Awards winners:

Best Film – Blind Massage, China

Best Director – Ann Hui, The Golden Era, China, Hong Kong

Best Actor – Liao Fan, Black Coal, Thin Ice, China

Best Actress – Bae Doo-na, A Girl At My Door, South Korea

Best Supporting Actor – Wang Zhiwen, The Golden Era, China, Hong Kong

Best Supporting Actress – Ikewaki Chizuru, The Light Shines Only There, Japan

Best Newcomer – Zhang Huiwen, Coming Home, China

Best Screenwriter – Diao Yinan, Black Coal, Thin Ice, China

Best Editor – Gareth Evans, The Raid 2: Berandal, Indonesia

Best Cinematographer – Zeng Jian, Blind Massage, China

Best Composer – Mikey McCleary, Margarita, with a Straw, India

Best Costume Designer – William Chang Suk-ping, Gone with the Bullets, China

Best Production Designer – Liu Qing, Gone with the Bullets, China

Best Visual Effects – Rick Sander, Christoph Zollinger, Gone with the Bullets, China

Lifetime Achievement Awards – Im Kwon-taek, South Korea

Excellence in Asian Cinema – Nakatani Miki, Japan

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Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com

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