Malaysia-Singapore-Taiwan co-production Snow in Midsummer and Swedish title Sons took top prizes in the Young Cinema Competition at the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF).
Winners of the festival’s 15 Firebird Awards and FIPRESCI Prize were announced at an awards gala held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Directed by Malaysian filmmaker Chong Keat-aun, Snow in Midsummerwas named Best Film (Chinese Language) in the Young Cinema Competition, with the jury commending the director for “demonstrating extraordinary courage in recounting the traumatic experiences of Malaysian travelling players.” The feature revolves around a Cantonese street opera troupe during a turbulent period in Malaysia’s political history in the late 1960s.
Cast includes Wan Fang, Pearlly Chua, Rexen Cheng, Pauline Tan, Peter Yu and Alvin Wong. Other winners in the Chinese-language category included the Best Director award for Chinese filmmaker Liang Ming for his film Carefree Days, while the film’s female lead, Lyu Xingchen won Best Actress.
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