The 18th edition of the Asian Film Awards took place at Hong Kong’s own Xiqu Centre on March 16 to celebrate outstanding films and talents on the silver screen. Hong Kong has produced a pretty stellar lineup of films last year, including Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, The Prosecutor, The Last Dance, All Shall Be Well, Blossoms Under Somewhere, and more, so it’s great to see our film industry getting the recognition it deserves last night.
Veteran actor Sean Lau Ching-wan won the Best Actor award for his work in Papa, playing the role of a father who navigates life after his wife and daughter are killed by his son. Lau was up against Taiwan’s Eddie Peng, South Korean legend Choi Min-sik, award-winning Japanese actor Nagatsuka Kyozo, and Hong Kong’s own Michael Hui for the honour. The movie was also nominated for two other categories: Best Newcomer and Best Editing.
Out of the 16 award categories, Hong Kong’s box office hit Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In received nominations in nine categories, ultimately winning Best Production Design and Best Editing. Another Hong Kong win came in for The Last Dance, which was awarded for Best Original Music.
The other top awards include Payal Kapadia’s As We Imagine as Light for Best Film, Yoshida Daihachi as Best Director for Teki Cometh, and Shahana Goswami for Best Actress in Santosh. See below for the full list of winners.
Winners of the Asian Film Awards 2025:
Best Film: All We Imagine as Light
Best Director: Yoshida Daihachi – Teki Cometh
Best Actor: Sean Lau – Papa
Best Actress: Shahana Goswami – Santosh
Best Supporting Actor: Lee Kang-Sheng – Stranger Eyes
Best Supporting Actress: Yang Kuei-mei – Yen and Ai-Lee
Best New Director: Sandhya Suri – Santosh
Best Newcomer: Kurihara Hayato – Happyend
Best Screenplay: Mohammad Rasoulof – The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Best Costume Design: Choi Yoon-sun – Exhuma
Best Production Design: Kenneth Mak, Chau Sai Hung Ambrose – Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
Best Editing: Cheung Ka Fai – Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
Best Cinematography: Hong Kyeong-pyo – Harbin
Best Original Music: Chu Wan Pin – The Last Dance
Best Visual Effects: Kim Shin-chul, Daniel Son – Exhuma
Best Sound: Tu Duu-Chih, Tu Tse-Kang – Stranger Eyes
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