EYES ON THE PRIZE Watch the movies creating a buzz at the 2019 Hong Kong Film Awards. By KEVIN MA

THE HONG KONG Film Awards take place this month, with 24 films nominated in 19 categories – many of which can be viewed onboard.

Leading the pack with 17 nominations is Project

Gutenberg (1), a thriller from Felix Chong, the co-writer of the Infernal Affairs trilogy. The film stars Aaron Kwok as a painter who joins a money counterfeiting syndicate, and charismatic superstar Chow Yun-fat as the villainous leader of the gang. Both are nominated for Best Actor this year.

Earning 11 nominations is Sunny Chan’s directorial debut,

Men on the Dragon (2). The comedy follows a group of middle-aged, working class men who are forced to join a dragon boat team. Despite a weak opening at the box office, positive word-of-mouth helped the film become one of the year’s top-grossing local movies.

Another critically acclaimed directorial debut this year is

Tracey (3), which has nine nominations. The Jun Li film features veteran character actor Philip Keung in his first starring role, playing a family man who finally confronts his gender identity crisis after the death of a childhood friend. The powerful drama is a trailblazer for its subject matter, which is handled with empathy and sensitivity.

One of Hong Kong’s finest action directors, Dante Lam, hit a career high last year with Operation Red Sea (4). The film, nominated for eight awards, is one of the most intense war films since Black Hawk Down. Inspired by a true story, Operation Red Sea follows an elite military unit that faces a brutal attack during a rescue mission. It is the third-highestgrossing film of all time in China.

In addition to this year’s nominees, we also have past HKFA nominees and winners onboard. Identify them by the HKFA logo in the movie listings on page 92-97.

The Hong Kong Film Awards take place on 14 April