The 34^th HKIFF Announces Eight Winners in Five Competitions

30 March, 2010 (Hong Kong) – The 34^th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) today announced this year’s winning films for the Asian Digital Competition, Humanitarian Awards for Documentaries, FIPRESCI Prize, SIGNIS Awards and the inaugural Short Film Competition. The announcement took place at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with Jury members of the Asian Digital Competition - acclaimed directors, Brillante Mendoza (Lola) and Yonfan (Prince of Tears) in attendance.

The Asian Digital Competition encourages young filmmakers in Asia to explore the potential of the digital media. The Golden Digital Award at the Asian Digital Competition went to Sun Spots by previous FIPRESCI Prize winner at the 31^st HKIFF, Yang Heng (Betelnut). The film features the intensity of human relationships expressed in an original cinematic language of powerful visuals that leads to a new art form of film. The Silver Digital Award went to the director, Zhao Dayong for his feature debut, The High Life.

Zhao Dayong also received the FIPRESCI Prize for The High Life, for its poetic, profound and modern style of fragmented beauty with an aesthetic critique of society. The FIPRESCI Special Mention went to Tangle, the directorial debut by the award-winning cinematographer of Blind Shaft, Liu Yonghong. Presented by the International Federation of Film Critics since the 23^rd HKIFF, the FIPRESCI Prize aims to promote film-art and encourages new and young cinema.

The Humanitarian Award for Documentaries went to director Zhao Liang for his film Petition, which offers an epic-scale analysis of some key social and psychological issues in present-day China. The Outstanding Documentary Award went to Enemies of the People by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath. The film offers a frank (and still shocking) account of what happened on Cambodia’s “killing fields”.

The first recipient of the Short Film Competition Grand Prize was Hanasaari A, an experimental Finnish documentary jointly directed by Hannes Vartiainen and Pekka Veikkolainen, for its recognition of a disappearing environment and the transience of time. The Jury Prize went to The Berlin Wall directed by Brighton-born filmmaker, Paul Cotter. The film successfully shows how emotions towards the Berlin Wall still run high 20 years after it was torn down.

Co-organised with SIGNIS Hong Kong since 2004, the SIGNIS Awards is a salute to quality films with significant artistic, human, social, and spiritual values. The SIGNIS Award this year went to A Brand New Life, a semi-autobiographical tale by French-Korean Ounie Lecomte who, with her artistic talent, can point out those almost insignificant details that actually really matter. The SIGNIS Commendation was presented to the Finish director Klaus Härö (Mother of Mine) for his latest film, Letters to Father Jacob.

There are still screenings of the following award-winning films at the 34^th HKIFF :

• Petition – 31 March, 1:45pm, Science Museum
• Tangle – 31 March, 7:15pm, UA Langham Place
• Hanasaari A in Short Film Competition Programme III – 31 March, 7:15pm, Hong Kong Arts Centre
• The Berlin Wall in Short Film Competition Programme IV – 1 April, 7:15pm, Hong Kong Arts Centre
• The High Life – 1 April, 9:30pm, UA Langham Place

The 34^th HKIFF will run until 6 April and features over 290 films from 50 countries, including 65 international, world and Asian premieres.

List of Awards

About HKIFF
The HKIFF is one of Asia’s most reputable platforms for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch new works and experience outstanding films.

Screening over 240 titles from nearly 50 countries in 11 major cultural venues across the territory, the Festival is Hong Kong’s largest cultural event that reaches an audience of over 590,000 including 4,500 business executives who attend Hong Kong Film and Television Market (FILMART), a concurrent event of the HKIFF.

Committed to discovering new talent, the Festival premieres the breadth of Chinese cinema and showcases Asian talent. As a lifestyle event, festival-goers can enjoy world-class films, attend seminars hosted by leading filmmakers from around the world, visit film exhibitions, join celebration parties, and more. For more information, please visit www.hkiff.org.

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