‘Raging Fire’ wins best film at Hong Kong Film Awards

Hong Kong, July 18 (US): Police thriller “Raging Fire” won Best Picture and three other awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards, beating out the crowd-favorite film about the late cantopop singer Anita Moi.

The AP reports that the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards have been postponed three times from April after the city’s biggest outbreak of COVID-19.

It was also the first time the awards have been held in person since 2019.

Raging Fire sees action star Donnie Yen play an incorruptible cop who ends up facing off against a former intern played by Nicholas Tse, who wants revenge after Yen’s character puts him in prison.

The film is a swansong directed by Benny Chan, who died of cancer in August 2020 while the film was still in post-production.

Chan posthumously won the Best Director award.

“Raging Fire” also won Best Editing as well as Best Choreography.

The movie that won the most awards of the night was ‘Anita’, a Moi autobiographical drama.

“Anita”, which was Hong Kong’s highest-grossing film in 2021, took home five awards for best costume, design, best visual effects as well as best sound design.

The film topped the Hong Kong box office upon its release, eventually grossing $18.5 million in gross box office sales. It topped the Hong Kong box office upon her debut, grossing approximately 61 million HK dollars (7.8 million) in about seven weeks.

“Anita” earned over 10 million yuan ($1.48 million) on its opening day at the Chinese box office.

Louise Wong, who played Moy in the film, won Best New Actress.

“Honestly, I couldn’t have played Anita one day or one night,” Wong said. “I am grateful for the team’s support and encouragement.”

“Gradually they helped me understand Anita and the role,” she said. “I am so grateful that I was able to experience her life.”

Malaysian actor Fish Liu, who played Mui An Mui’s sister, won Best Supporting Actress.

Another big winner was the crime thriller “Limbo” based on the novel Wisdom Tooth by Chinese author Lei Mi.

The film won Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography.

Cya Liu, who played a drug addict who becomes the target of a serial killer, won Best Actress for her portrayal of the role.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to act in this film and director Soi Cheang’s trust and appreciation,” said Liu.

“With his encouragement, I can fully participate in role playing and acting. Today is the first time in my life that I feel appreciated as an actress.”

85-year-old Patrick Tse won Best Actor for his performance in Time, which focuses on the city’s neglected elderly population.

Comedian and actor Michael Hoy also presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the comedy genre in the Hong Kong film industry.

ZHB