Hong Kong films The Last Dance and Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In remained neck and neck in the race to the upcoming Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA), as they clinched major prizes at the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild Awards on March 10.
The Last Dance, which explores the meaning of life and death through funeral rituals, clinched Best Actor for Michael Hui, Best Actress for Michelle Wai and Best Supporting Actor for Tommy Chu, who played the father, daughter and son in the film respectively.
The Last Dance, Hong Kong’s top-grossing film in 2024, also starred Hong Kong actor Dayo Wong as a wedding planner-turned-funeral planner who grows into his job.
Meanwhile, Twilight Of The Warriors, a crime action thriller featuring Hong Kong actors Raymond Lam, Louis Koo and Sammo Hung, won Best Picture and Best Director for Soi Cheang at the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild-organised annual dinner and awards presentation.
It is often regarded as a bellwether of the HKFA, with the 2025 edition scheduled to be held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on April 27.
The Last Dance and Twilight Of The Warriors garnered the most nominations – 18 and 14 respectively – at HKFA 2025, with both films clashing in many categories such as Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing
Hui, 82, who played a strict Taoist priest in The Last Dance, hopes that his on-screen family will get to repeat their winning streak.
“Life is short, and the most important thing is to appreciate the scenery along the way,” he said at a media interview on March 10, quoting a line from The Last Dance. “It would be one of the most beautiful sceneries in our life if father, son and daughter win the awards together.”
Hui received his Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild award from Hong Kong actress Kara Wai. Both won the top acting awards at the inaugural HKFA in 1982 – Hui for the comedy Security Unlimited and Wai for the action comedy My Young Auntie.
Kara, 65, went on to score two more Best Actress awards and two Best Supporting Actress awards at the HKFA, while Hui waited 40 years before receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 and Best Supporting Actor award for crime thriller Where The Wind Blows in 2023.
“I doubted my acting skills after seeing Kara win more awards than me after 1982,” Hui said. “It’s great winning the Best Actor award, even though I have waited for 43 years.”
Michelle, who played an ambulance medic aspiring to be a Taoist priest, was emotional when she went on stage to accept the Best Actress award.
The 40-year-old, who tied the knot with aesthetic doctor Kenley Chau on Feb 16, thanked all the directors she has worked with in her 17-year acting career, adding that she is where she is today due to their confidence in her.
It was also another family affair for critically acclaimed film Papa, which is based on the real-life 2010 Heung Wo Street murder. Set against the aftermath of a family tragedy, a father (Hong Kong actor Sean Lau Ching Wan) navigates survivor guilt and seeks reconciliation with his son, who killed his mother and sister.
Hong Kong actress Jo Koo, 47, who played Lau’s character’s wife, won Best Supporting Actress, while rookie Dylan So, 18, who portrayed the son, won Best New Actor. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
