All We Imagine as Light, the fictional debut feature of Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia, won the Best Film award at the 18th Asian Film Awards ceremony, which was held in Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre yesterday.
A co-production between India, France, Netherlands and Luxembourg, the drama tells the story of three nurses who must navigate the complexity of life in Mumbai.
The film’s current win comes almost a full year after it made history at the Cannes Film Festival last May, where it bagged the Grand Prix – the event’s secondest highest honour.
“I’m so happy that we could end our journey here in Hong Kong, a city that has meant a lot to me, watching the amazing films from this city over the years,” Kapadia said on stage.
Overall, All We Imagine as Light earned six nominations, although it only managed to claim the Best Film prize.
Meanwhile, the Best Director title went to Japan’s Yoshida Daihachi for his work on Teki Cometh.
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The Best Actress prize was handed down to Shahana Goswami, who played the lead in the Indian drama, Santosh, while the Best Actor award went to Sean Lau, who starred in the Hong Kong film Papa.
Earning the most number of nominations was the South Korean flick Exhuma, which was in the running for 11 prizes, although it only managed to collect two – Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects.
The Hong Kong martial arts smash hit, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, came in at a close second in terms of nominations, garnering nine nods. It too earned only two awards – Best Editing and Best Production Design.
A number of non-competitive prizes were given as well, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Yakusho Koji, and the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, which were awarded to Jang Dong-gun and Tang Wei.
Koji, who is best known for his role in Japanese films such as Tampopo, Shall We Dance? and Perfect Days, had previously won two Best Actor awards at the Asian Film Awards.
In an interview prior to the ceremony, the 69-year old said that he felt “deeply humbled” and “truly honoured” to be receiving the prize and said that it “encourages me to strive even harder to deliver quality work in the remaining years of my acting career.”
