(January 11, 2018; Hong Kong/Tokyo) The Asian Film Awards Academy announced the nominations for the 12th Asian Film Awards (AFA) in Hong Kong today. For this edition, AFA received submissions from 26 countries and regions. Eighty-nine nominations were made for 17 awards, including the newly added Best New Director and Best Action Film. The nominations represent 32 films from 10 countries and regions. Japanese films and talents were nominated in 14 categories*, including a Best Film Award nomination for The Third Murder (Director: KORE-EDA Hirokazu), a Best Director Award nomination for Yuya ISHII for The Tokyo Night Sky is Always the Densest Shade of Blue, and a Best Actress Award nomination for Yu AOI for Birds Without Names.
*Full list of nominations.　⇒　PDF Download (1657KB)
 

 
World-renowned Hong Kong director CHING Siu-Tung will serve as this year’s Jury President and lead a jury comprising respected film industry professionals, festival programmers and critics. Hong Kong actress Carina LAU will join the jury as a Celebrity Juror.
 
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), together with the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival, created the Asian Film Awards Academy (AFA Academy), a nonprofit organization, in 2013 to promote and develop Asian cinema and its talents. Organized by the AFA Academy, the Asian Film Awards (AFA) will celebrate its 12th anniversary this year.
 
The 12th Asian Film Awards will take place at one of the world’s leading integrated resorts and must-see destinations, The Venetian Macao, on March 17, 2018 (Saturday).
 
Dr. Wilfred WONG Ying-wai, GBS, JP, Chairman of the AFA Academy and the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society said, “This year, we will celebrate the excellence of martial arts in Asian cinema, by recognizing many outstanding Asian filmmakers and providing a platform for new faces and up-and-coming artists. In addition to the annual AFA, the Academy has further developed various professional programs such as masterclasses, film festival visits for students, young film professionals overseas training programs and film roadshows around the globe. Through these efforts we hope to strengthen the ties between film talents, audiences and the region’s industries.”