Derek Yee's drug dealer-centered film, "Prot¨¦g¨¦," dominated the
nominations list of the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards, gaining 15 nods out of 19
categories.
According to the list announced on Saturday, "Prot¨¦g¨¦" will compete for such
coveted awards as best film, best director and best actress for the efforts of
actress Zhang Jingchu.
Other front-runners on the list are Peter Chan's brotherhood war epic the
"Warlords," with 13 nominations, Ann Hui's comedy "Postmodern Life of My Aunt,"
with nine, Yau Nai-Hoi's police thriller "Eye in the Sky" and Johnnie To-Wai
Ka-Fai cooperation, "Godly Detective," each with eight nominations.
The directors of these films are all contenders for best director.
"Warlords" earned Andy Lau and Jet Li best actor nods. They will compete for
the title with Sean Lau Ching-Wan ("Godly Detective"), Simon Yam Tat-Wah ("Eye
in the Sky"), and Aaron Kwok ("The Detective").
Andy Lau, who is also featured in "Prot¨¦g¨¦," is in competition for best
supporting actor. His rivals include fellow "Prot¨¦g¨¦" actor Louis Koo and
"Postmodern Life of My Aunt"'s Chow Yun-Fat.
Zhang Jingchu's best actress rivals are Teresa Mo ("Mr. Cinema"), Siqin Gaowa
("Postmodern Life of My Aunt"), Rene Liu ("Kidnap") and Charlene Choi ("Simply
Actors").
Oscar-winning director Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution," previously rumored to be
shunned from Hong Kong Film Awards due to a lack of Hong Kong efforts in its
production team, has been nominated for best Asian film alongside Taiwan
singer-turned director Jay Chou's "Secret" and mainland director-actor Jiang
Wen's "The Sun Also Rises."
Final winners will be announced at a ceremony on April 13.
