A Chinese drama about a man leading a double life and a gangster movie from South Korea grabbed six nominations each for this year’s Asian Film Awards.
The AFA, at a news conference in Hong Kong on Wednesday, also named pop star Andy Lau as president of this year’s jury.
In addition to best film, “Mystery” received nominations for best director (Lou Ye), best actress (Hao Lei), best newcomer (Qi Xi), best screenwriter and best composer. The film held its premiere at Cannes last year. Mr. Lou—one of China’s leading contemporary filmmakers—was banned from making films for five years after “Summer Palace” (2006) ran afoul with the authorities. The film was set against the backdrop of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, which remains a sensitive topic in China.
“Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” from South Korea was nominated for best actor (Choi Min-sik), best supporting actor (Ha Jung-woo), best newcomer (Kim Sung-kyun), best screenwriter, best production designer and best composer.
In addition to Mr. Lou, best-director nods went to Anurag Kashyap for “Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 1 & 2” (India); Abbas Kiarostami, “Like Someone in Love” (Japan/France/Iran); Kim Ki-duk, “Pieta” (South Korea); and Takeshi Kitano, “Outrage Beyond” (Japan).
Joining Mr. Choi for best-actor nominations are Joseph Chang, “GF*BF” (Taiwan); Eddie Garcia, “Bwakaw” (Philippines); Tony Leung Ka-fai, “Cold War” (Hong Kong); and Liu Ye, “The Last Supper” (China).
Best-actress nominations went to Nora Aunor, “Thy Womb” (Philippines); Cho Min-soo, “Pieta” (South Korea); Golshifteh Farahani, “The Patience Stone” (Afghanistan); Gwei Lun-mei, “GF*BF” (Taiwan); and Ms. Hao for “Mystery.”
While films from East Asia tend to dominate the major categories, four Indian films figured prominently this year. Apart from best film, “Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 1 & 2” received three other nominations. Anand Gandhi, who directed “Ship of Theseus,” was nominated for his screenplay about three interconnected stories set in modern India.
“Asian films are spreading across the globe because of their diversity and innovation,” Mr. Lau said in a statement. “Not only do Asian films deliver fresh topics, they also actively explore different social issues.” Mr. Lau told the Journal at Wednesday’s news conference that he was especially a fan of Indian movies for their lively musical numbers.
A total of 30 films from nine countries are competing in 14 categories. The awards ceremony will be held March 18 in Hong Kong.
The full list of nominees:
Best Film
“Drug War” (Mainland China)
“Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 1 & 2” (India)
“Mystery” (Mainland China)
“Outrage Beyond” (Japan)
“Pieta” (South Korea)
Best Director
Anurag Kashyap, “Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 1 & 2” (India)
Abbas Kiarostami, “Like Someone in Love” (Japan/France/Iran)
Kim Ki-duk, “Pieta” (South Korea)
Takeshi Kitano, “Outrage Beyond” (Japan)
Lou Ye, “Mystery” (Mainland China)
Best Actor
Joseph Chang, “GF*BF” (Taiwan)
Choi Min-sik, “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” (South Korea)
Eddie Garcia, “Bwakaw” (Philippines)
Tony Leung Ka-fai, “Cold War” (Hong Kong)
Liu Ye, “The Last Supper” (Mainland China)
Best Actress
Nora Aunor, “Thy Womb” (Philippines)
Cho Min-soo, “Pieta” (South Korea)
Golshifteh Farahani, “The Patience Stone” (Afghanistan)
Gwei Lun-mei, “GF*BF” (Taiwan)
Hao Lei, “Mystery” (Mainland China)
Best Newcomer
Chien Man-shu, “When a Wolf Falls in Love With a Sheep” (Taiwan)
Masahiro Higashide, “The Kirishima Thing” (Japan)
Huang Yu-siang, “Touch of the Light” (Taiwan)
Kim Sung-kyun, “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” (South Korea)
Qi Xi, “Mystery” (Mainland China)
Best Supporting Actor
Ha Jung-woo, “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” (South Korea)
Ryo Kase, “Like Someone in Love” (Japan/France/Iran)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, “The Answer Lies Within” (India)
Chapman To, “Diva” (Hong Kong)
Rhydian Vaughan, “GF*BF” (Taiwan)
Best Supporting Actress
Jun Ji-hyun, “The Thieves” (South Korea)
Kim Hye-soo, “The Thieves” (South Korea)
Li Lieh, “Together” (Taiwan)
Qin Lan, “The Last Supper” (Mainland China)
Makiko Watanabe, “Capturing Dad” (Japan)
Best Screenwriter
Anand Gandhi, “Ship of Theseus” (India)
Kohei Kiyasu, Daihachi Yoshida, “The Kirishima Thing” (Japan)
Mei Feng, Yu Fan, Lou Ye, “Mystery” (Mainland China)
Wai Ka-fai, Yau Nai-hoi, Ryker Chan, Yu Xi, “Drug War” (Mainland China)
Yun Jong-bin, “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” (South Korea)
Best Cinematographer
Touraj Aslani, “Rhino Season” (Iraqi Kurdistan/Turkey)
Choi Young-hwan, “The Thieves” (South Korea)
Rajeev Ravi, “Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 1 & 2” (India)
Katsumi Yanagijima, “Like Someone in Love” (Japan/France/Iran)
Zhang Li, Ma Cheng, “The Last Supper” (Mainland China)
Best Production Designer
Cho Hwa-sung, “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” (South Korea)
Bahman Ghobadi, Ali Daryai, “Rhino Season” (Iraqi Kurdistan/Turkey)
Wasiq Khan, “Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 1 & 2” (India)
Man Lim-chung, “The Silent War” (Mainland China/Hong Kong)
Yee Chung-man, Eric Lam Chi-kiu, “The Last Tycoon” (Mainland China/Hong Kong)
Best Composer
Pritam Chakraborty, “Barfi!” (India)
Jo Yeong-wook, “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” (South Korea)
Peyman Yazdanian, Johann Johannsson, “Mystery” (Mainland China)
Keiichi Suzuki, “Outrage Beyond” (Japan)
Koji Ueno, “The Floating Castle” (Japan)
Best Editor
Takeshi Kitano, Yoshinori Ohta, “Outrage Beyond” (Japan)
Mototaka Kusakabe, “The Kirishima Thing” (Japan)
Valerie Loiseleux, “Rhino Season” (Iraqi Kurdistan/Turkey)
David Richardson, Allen Leung, “Drug War” (Mainland China)
Shin Min-kyung, “The Thieves” (South Korea)
Best Visual Effects
Chas Chau, Lewis Chan, Benson Poon, Johnny Lin, “When a Wolf Falls in Love With a Sheep” (Taiwan)
Kwak Tae-yong, Hwang Hyokyun, Lim Jung-hoon, “Doomsday Book” (South Korea)
Farbod Khoshtinat, “Rhino Season” (Iraqi Kurdistan/Turkey)
Lee In-ho, Je Young-ho, “Soar Into the Sun” (South Korea)
Katsuro Onoue, Tetsuo Oya, Atsuki Sato, Minami Tsujino, “The Floating Castle” (Japan)
Best Costume Designer
Chen Xue-bing, Zhong Jia-ni, “The Last Supper” (Mainland China)
Jessie Dai Mei-ling, Chan Chi-man, “The Last Tycoon” (Mainland China/Hong Kong)
Kwak Jung-ae, “A Werewolf Boy” (South Korea)
Man Lim-chung, “The Silent War” (Mainland China/Hong Kong)
Mitsuru Otsuka, Kazuta Matsunaga, Akihiko Inamura, “The Floating Castle” (Japan)