S Korea shines at Asian Film Awards
Showbiz Desk

HONG KONG—South Korea dominated the Asian Film Awards for the second year running, with “Secret Sunshine”, a tragic movie about death and faith, taking home three top prizes including best picture. “Secret Sunshine” — the story of a widow who moves to her dead husband’s hometown with her son, and then turns to evangelical Christianity when her child is abducted and murdered — also won for best director and actress. South Korean actress Jeon Do-Yeon, who won the top acting prize at last year’s Cannes film festival for her performance as the suffering woman, again took home top honours in Hong Kong late Monday.
“This is beyond my expectations,” she said. “Secret Sunshine” director Lee Chang-dong bested Taiwan’s Ang Lee, whose erotic World War II spy thriller “Lust, Caution” went home with just one award — a best actor trophy for Hong Kong veteran Tony Leung Chiu-wai. The South Korean director said he had come to the gala event in Hong Kong to celebrate Jeon’s work, and never expected to take home the awards for best film and director.
“I’m a very happy man now,” he said. The Asian Film Awards, organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, are aimed at showcasing the depth of talent in the region.
At last year’s inaugural event, South Korea also blitzed the field, with smash hit monster flick “The Host” — the story of a mutant monster spawned by toxic waste released from a US military morgue — winning four prizes. On Monday, Chinese-American veteran Joan Chen won best supporting actress honours for “The Sun Also Rises”, while China’s Sun Honglei was named best supporting actor for his work in “Mongol”, about the life of Genghis Khan.
Best screenwriting honours went to Au Kin-yee and Wai Ka-fai for “Mad Detective”, another cop flick from prolific Hong Kong director Johnnie To. Liao Pen-jung won the trophy for best cinematography for “Help Me Eros”, while Cao Jiuping, Zhang Jianqun won for best production design for “The Sun Also Rises”.
India’s Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani were named best composers for “Om Shanti Om”, David Richardson was crowned best editor for “Eye In the Sky” and the prize for best visual effects went to Ng Yuen-fai for “The Warlords”. More than 30 films from across the region vied for the 12 prizes.
Veteran Japanese director Yoji Yamada, best known for the light-hearted human dramas of his “Otoko wa Tsurai yo” (“Tough to be a man”) series that started in 1969, took home the Special Lifetime Achievement Award. The series features iconic character Torajiro Kuruma, a warm-hearted but hapless travelling salesman who is constantly falling in love with women and getting his heart broken.
Yamada, 76, made 48 movies about the salesman, played by late film legend Kiyoshi Atsumi, until 1995.