‘Decision To Leave’ leads Asian Film Awards nominations

Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave leads the nominations for this year’s Asian Film Awards (AFA) with 10 nods including best film and best director.

Korean films have secured nominations in every category for the 16^th edition of the awards, which will return to Hong Kong for the first time in three years, having been hosted in Busan for two years and not held in 2022.

Scroll down for full list of nominations

Korean romantic noir Decision To Leave premiered in Competition at Cannes last May, where Park won best director. As well as AFA nominations for best film and best director, Park Hae-il and Tang Wei are up for best actor and best actress.

Following with eight nominations is Japanese drama Drive My Car by Hamaguchi Ryusuke, which debuted at Cannes in 2021 and went on to win the Oscar for best international feature film.

Competing for best film are Decision to Leave, Drive My Car, Kazakhstan film Poet by Darezhan Omirbaev, India’s Ponniyin Selvan: I from Mani Ratnam, and the Philippines’ When the Waves Are Gone from Lav Diaz.

Chinese director Zhang Yimou will preside over a seven-person jury that decides the winners. Zhang is a two-time Golden Lion winner at Venice for The Story Of Qui Ju and Not One Less; a Berlin Golden Bear winner for Red Sorghum; and a Cannes grand jury prize winner for To Live.

A total of 30 films from 22 countries or territories received 81 nominations across 16 categories.

The awards ceremony will take place at the new Hong Kong Palace Museum on March 12, the night before content market Filmart launches its first physical edition since 2019.

The AFAs have run since 2007 and are jointly backed by Busan, Tokyo and Hong Kong film festivals.

Asian Film Awards 2023 nominations

Best Film

Decision To Leave (S Kor)
Drive My Car (Jap)
Poet (Kaz)
Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (India)
When the Waves Are Gone (Phil-Fr-Port-Den)

Best Director

KORE-EDA Hirokazu, Broker (S Kor)
PARK Chan-wook, Decision To Leave (S Kor)
HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke, Drive My Car (Jap)
Darezhan OMIRBAYEV, Poet (Kaz)
Davy CHOU, Return To Seoul (Fr-Ger-Bel-Camb)

Best Actor

PARK Hae-il, Decision To Leave (S Kor)
NISHIJIMA Hidetoshi, Drive My Car (Jap)
SUZUKI Ryohei, Egoist (Jap)
ZHANG Yi, Home Coming (China)
Mohsen TANABANDEH, World War III (Iran)
Tony LEUNG Chiu Wai, Where The Wind Blows (HK)

Best Actress

Sylvia CHANG, A Light Never Goes Out (HK)
Karena LAM, American Girl (Tai)
Happy SALMA, Before, Now & Then (Indo)
TANG Wei, Decision To Leave (S Kor)
BAISHO Chieko, Plan 75 (Jap)

Best Supporting Actor

OKADA Masaki, Drive My Car (Jap)
MIYAZAWA Hio, Egoist (Jap)
IM Si-wan, Emergency Declaration (S Kor)
OH Kwang-rok, Return To Seoul (Fr-Ger-Bel-Camb)
HUI Koon Man, Where The Wind Blows (HK)

Best Supporting Actress

ANDO Sakura, A Man (Jap)
Laura BASUKI, Before, Now & Then (Indo)
KIM So-jin, Emergency Declaration (S Kor)
YIN Tao, Home Coming (China)
KAWAI Yumi, Plan 75 (Jap)

Best New Director

Makbul MUBARAK, Autobiography (Indo-Fr-Sing-Pol-Phil-Ger-Qat)
Saim SADIQ, Joyland (Pak)
Jigme Trinley, One And Four (China)
HAYAKAWA Chie, Plan 75 (Jap)
KIM Se-in, The Apartment With Two Women (S Kor)

Best Newcomer

Louise WONG, Anita (HK)
LEE Ji-eun, Broker (S Kor)
YANG Enyou, Lighting Up the Stars (China)
PARK Ji-min, Return To Seoul (Fr-Ger-Bel-Camb)
MAK Pui Tung, The Sparring Partner (HK)

Best Screenplay

Makbul MUBARAK, Autobiography (Indo-Fr-Sing-Pol-Phil-Ger-Qat)
CHUNG Seo-kyung, PARK Chan-wook, Decision To Leave (S Kor)
HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke, OE Takamasa, Drive My Car (Jap)
LIU Jiangjiang, YU Min, Lighting Up the Stars (China)
Lav DIAZ, When the Waves Are Gone (Phil-Fr-Port-Den)

Best Editing

KIM Sang-beom, Decision To Leave (S Kor)
YAMAZAKI Azusa, Drive My Car (Jap)
ZHU Lin, YONG Wei, GAO Qiongjiali, Lighting Up the Stars (China)
Sreekar PRASAD, Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (India)
Dounia SICHOV, Return To Seoul (Fr-Ger-Bel-Camb)

Best Cinematography

Batara GOEMPAR, Before, Now & Then (Indo)
KIM Ji-yong, Decision To Leave (S Kor)
LU Songye, One And Four (China)
URATA Hideho, Plan 75 (Jap)
Ravi VARMAN, Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (India)

Best Original Music

CHO Young Wuk, Decision To Leave (S Kor)
ISHIBASHI Eiko, Drive My Car (Jap)
A.R. Rahman, Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (India)
Jérémie ARCACHE, Christophe MUSSET, Return To Seoul (Fr-Ger-Bel-Camb)
Bahman GHOBADI, Vedat YILDIRIM, The Four Walls (Turkey)

Best Costume Design

RYU Hyun-min, OH Jung-geun, Alienoid (S Kor)
Karen YIP, Dora NG, Anita (HK)
Retno Ratih DAMAYANTI, Before, Now & Then (Indo)
SHINOZUKA Nami, Egoist (Jap)
Eka LAKHANI, Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (India)

Best Production Design

Vida Sylvia Theresia, Before, Now & Then (Indo)
RYU Seong-hie, Decision To Leave (S Kor)
LI Miao, Home Coming (China)
Thota THARANI, Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (India)
Bill LUI, Andrew WONG, Where The Wind Blows (HK)

Best Visual Effects

JUNG Seung-oh, Alienoid (S Kor)
ZHANG Fan, Moon Man (China)
Srinivas MOHAN, RRR (India)
SATO Atsuki, Shin Ultraman (Jap)
Chas CHAU, LEUNG Wai Kit, KWOK Tai, Warriors Of Future (HK)

Best Sound

TU Duu-Chih, Anita (HK)
KIM Suk-won, Decision To Leave (S Kor)
NOMURA Miki, OBO Tatsuya, Drive My Car (Jap)
Vincent VILLA, Return To Seoul (Fr-Ger-Bel-Camb)
Ashwin RAJASHEKAR, RRR (India)

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