‘Madame Bovary’ wins big at Asian Awards
HONG KONG: I Am Not Madame Bovary, starring Fan Bingbing, took home three awards at the 11th Asian Film Awards here on Tuesday, winning best film, best cinematographer and best actress.
Winner Fan Bingbing, who plays a woman accused of adultery, said it was her favourite role to date.
“Even though playing the role was challenging, I had an unforgettable experience,” she told reporters.
She was required to prove her acting chops in the the demanding role, and in a piece of counter-intuitive casting she had to ditch her glamorous persona in favour of a dowdy peasant costume. Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano won best actor for his role in the drama Harmonium while South Korean director Na Hong-jin won the best director category for horror film The Wailing.
Going into the ceremony, the hot favourites had been Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden, with six nominations, and Feng Xiaogang’s Bovary.
On the night, Bovary and The Handmaiden each collected three awards.
Even though playing the role was challenging, I had an unforgettable experience.
South Korea’s Oscars contender The Age of Shadows also collected an award.
The AFAs returned to Hong Kong after a couple of years excursion to nearby Macau. They were held in the Grand Auditorium of the HK Cultural Centre on the Kowloon waterfront.
Actress Jelly Lin (aka Lin Yun) was on hand to receive the rising star of the year award. Having made her big screen debut in all time box office record breaker The Mermaid in 2016, she has since gone on to star in L.O.R.D. Legend of Ravaging Dynasties and in January starred in another blockbuster. Stephen Chow and Tsui Hark’s Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back.
Tsui, who built his career in Hong Kong, but is now a major fixture in mainland China, received a lifetime achievement award and a big hand. — Agencies
Fan Bingbing, winner of Best Actress Award