2nd Annual Asian Film Awards

The 2nd Annual Asian Film Awards were held last night in Hong Kong, and Lee Chang-dong won big for his film Secret Sunshine, which won best film, best director and gave Jeon Do-yeon best actress for her role in the film. Secret Sunshine is a poetic and emotional film that relies heavily on it's indelible characters. Song Kang-ho was beat out for his performance in Secret Sunshine, but Tony Leung for his sexy bad guy role in Lust, Caution. The big news was that Tang Wei was snubbed for best actress on the heels of the big China ban smackdown. Although I have seen some of these films on DVD, most (with the exception of Lust, Caution) are shamefully without legitamate US release as of yet. Here's the full list of nominees and winners in bold:

Best film:
Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame (Iran)...playing at the Walker on March 29, BTW
I Just Didn't Do It (Japan)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan-China-United States)
Secret Sunshine (South Korea)
The Sun Also Rises (China-Hong Kong)
The Warlords (China-Hong Kong)

Best director:
Peter Chan (The Warlords)
Jiang Wen (The Sun Also Rises)
Ang Lee (Lust, Caution)
Lee Chang-dong (Secret Sunshine)
Masayuki Suo (I Just Didn't Do It)
Zhang Lu (Desert Dream)

Best actor:
Jack Kao (God Man Dog)
Ryo Kase (I Just Didn't Do It)
Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Lust, Caution)
Jet Li (The Warlords)
Song Kang-ho (Secret Sunshine)
Joe Odagiri (Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad)

Best actress:
Joan Chen (The Home Song Stories)
Jeon Do-yeon (Secret Sunshine)
Kirin Kiki (Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad)
Kim Yun-jin (Seven Days)
Deepika Padukone (Om Shanti Om)
Tang Wei (Lust, Caution)

Best supporting actor:
Chun Ho-jin (Skeletons in the Closet)
Kaoru Kobayashi (Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad)
Mario Maurer (Love of Siam)
Sun Honglei (Mongol)
Shin'ichi Tsutsumi (Always: Sunset on Third Street 2)

Best supporting actress:
Joan Chen (The Sun Also Rises)
Kong Hyo-jin (Happiness)
Kim Hye-soo (Skeletons in the Closet)
Apinya Sakujaroensuk (Ploy)
Hiroko Yakushimaru (Always: Sunset on Third Street 2)

Best Screenwriter:
Au Kin Yee/Wai Ka-Fai (The Mad Detective)
Im Sang-soo (The Old Garden)
Peng Tao (Little Moth)
Masayuki Suo (I Just Didn't Do It)
Wang Hui-Ling/James Schamus (Lust, Caution)

Best Cinematographer:
Hooman Behmanesh (Those Three)
Chankit Chamnivikaipong (Ploy)
Liao Pen-jung (Help Me Eros)
Shanker Raman (Frozen)
Arthur Wong (The Warlords)

There are more. Check out the much prettier page HERE.