Hong Kong actress, Stephy Tang, whose leading role in "The Empty Hands" (2017) was deemed to be her "career-best performance" as described by the reputable entertainment magazine Hollywood Reporter, has added the "Screen International Rising Star Award" to her accolades in the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). She is the first Hong Kong actress to receive the coveted award.
At the presentation ceremony in Lincoln Center on July 6 (New York time), the Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (HKETONY), Ms Joanne Chu said the award was a timely boon as this year marked the 10th anniversary of the collaboration between HKETONY and NYAFF.
While she congratulated the singer-turned-actress for a successful year, she also thanked the organisers of NYAFF for bringing Hong Kong films and talents to the New York movie-savvy audience in the past decade, counting 80 award-winning films and inviting more than 30 directors, actors and screenwriters for interviews.
The Executive Director of NYAFF, Mr Samuel Jamier, said the Hong Kong film series had always been the core segment of the festival. "We are pleased to see the festival grow from strength to strength since 2002 and with the ETO's support since 2009. Ten years down the road, we have presented in world/US/New York premieres a variety of Hong Kong genre films besides action, horrors and police thrillers which obviously are still the audience favourites," he added.
The festival has since been regarded as the "best film festival in New York" by Village Voice and "one of the city's most valuable events" by New York Times. It was the first North American film festival to champion the works of Johnnie To, Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike, and other auteurs of contemporary Asian cinema. Since 2010, it has been produced in collaboration with the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
The lineup this year featured nine Hong Kong films, with two world premieres, one North American premiere and three New York premieres. "Men on the Dragon" (2018), the debut feature of screenwriter-director Sunny Chan, will have its world premiere on July 12. Both Chan and co-actress Jennifer Yu will meet the audience in a Q&A session. The film starring Francis Ng, Poon Chan Leung and Kenny Wong was another successful venture of Hong Kong Film Development Fund.
The film talents who have attended the festival in the past ten years (including 2018) were Heiward Mak Hei-Yan, Wai Ka-fai (2009); Sammo Hung, Simon Yam (2010); Tsui Hark (2011); Pang Ho-cheung, Donnie Yen (2012); Jackie Chan, Erica Li, Herman Yau (2013); Felix Chong, Alan Mak, Sandra Ng (2014); Aaron Kwok, Ringo Lam, Lau Ho-Leung (2015); Adam Wong, Miriam Yeung (2016); Florence Chan, Derek Hui, Lawrence Lau, Alan Lo, Carrie Ng, Eric Tsang, Wong Chun (2017); and Antony Chan, Sunny Chan, Dante Lam, Stephy Tang and Jennifer Yu (2018).
The video of the award presentation can be found at www.facebook.com/hkmeetsamerica/videos/1130956700384735/ch. Photos are available on www.instagram.com/hongkongmeetsamerica/.
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