The nominations for the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards were announced on Friday, January 29, 2016. Crime thriller Port of Call leads the HKFA race with 13 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay.
Port of Call is directed by Philip Yung (翁子光) and stars Aaron Kwok (郭富城) as a police officer who investigates a murder about a dismembered corpse, which is based on a true event. Port of Call gives Aaron his fifth HKFA nomination for Best Actor. Lead actress Jessi Li (春夏) is nominated for both Best Actress and Best Newcomer.
Following Port of Call is the action adventure film The Taking of Tiger Mountain with 11 total nominations, including Best Cinematography and Best Action Choreography. Directed by Tsui Hark (徐克), The Taking of Tiger Mountain is based on a novel that highlighted a conflict between the People’s Liberation Army of China and a bandit gang during the end of World War II. Tony Leung Ka-fai (梁家輝) is also nominated for Best Actor.
Ip Man 3 is the third most-nominated film, and will be competing against The Taking of Tiger Mountain for Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Action Choreography. The movie’s leading man Donnie Yen (甄子丹), however, was not nominated for Best Actor.
Last year’s Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress winners Sean Lau Ching-wan (劉青雲) and Ivana Wong (王菀之) announced the nominees for this year’s ceremony, which will be held on April 3, 2016.
Best Actor nominees include Andy Lau (劉德華) for Lost and Love , Nick Cheung (張家輝) for Keeper of Darkness , Jacky Cheung (張學友) for Heaven in the Dark , Tony Leung Ka-fai for The Taking of Tiger Mountain, and Aaron Kwok for Port of Call.
Best Actress nominees include Tang Wei (湯唯) for A Tale of Three Cities , Miriam Yeung (楊千嬅) for Little Big Master , Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉) for Office , Karena Lam (林嘉欣) for Heaven in the Dark, and Jessi Li for Port of Call.
Other notable nominations include TVB artists Louis Cheung (張繼聰) and Sisley Choi (蔡思貝), respectively nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Newcomer through their performances in Keeper of Darkness. Max Zhang (張晉) has received two Best Supporting Actor nominations for SPL 2 and Ip Man 3.