Top Film Talents including Japanese Filmmakers to Gather and Meet the Hong Kong Audience in Person
 

 
The Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA) announced that eight outstanding nominated films of the 18th Asian Film Awards (AFA) will be screened in Hong Kong alongside two special screenings from March 14 through 16. It also unveiled special programs and speakers, featuring an in-depth masterclass and four insightful conversations with nominees, leading up to the awards ceremony.
 
The Asian Film Awards, an annual prestigious event celebrating Asian cinema, brings film talents from all over the world together, promoting Asian film culture to the world, while also facilitating exchanges between cinephiles and filmmakers.
 
The screening event titled Asian Cinerama features ten films including three works nominated for both Best Film and Best Director Awards: All We Imagine as Light, Black Dog and Exhuma. The selection also includes Japanese films such as Happyend, nominated in two categories, and two special presentations, a Japanese box-office hit Last Mile, and Perfect Days, which was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023 as Opening Film and won Best Actor at the 17th AFA. In conjunction with the screenings, a variety of events will take place, including post-screening talks and stage greeting events welcoming international filmmakers where directors, cast members, and staff will share behind-the-scenes stories. From the special screenings, this year’s AFA Ambassador Dean Fujioka and Youth Ambassador Okada Masaki for Last Mile and Yakusho Koji for Perfect Days, who has won the AFA Best Actor Award twice will take part in a stage greeting event and meet the audience.
 
There will also be Featured Programs including the masterclass and talks, where nominees from different countries and regions nominated in the same categories will be invited to offer insight into the artistry and vision behind their cinematic worlds. These events will shine a spotlight not only on directors and actors but also on technical staff, offering a unique range of experiences that only the AFA can provide. From Japan, the emerging director Sora Neo (Happyend) alongside Dong Zijian (My Friend An Delie, winner of the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 37th TIFF) and Truong Minh Quý (Viêt and Nam) will take part in “Shaping Tomorrow’s Cinema”, exploring how fresh styles and perspectives are expanding filmmaking possibilities. Additionally, Hi’Spec (All the Long Nights) and Katsumoto Michiaki (The Box Man) will participate in a talk event “Composing the Notes of Cinema” along with other Best Original Music Nominees to explore the power of film music. From experimental hip-hop to orchestral scores, each composer brings a unique harmonic vision to cinema and will share their creative process and how music elevates storytelling beyond the screen.
 
Furthermore, the AFA Ambassadors,—Dean Fujioka (AFA Ambassador) and Youth Ambassadors; Okada Masaki, Aokbab Chutimon Austin Lin and Lo Chun Yip and Thai actor Win Metawin, last year’s Rising Star Award recipient, will make a special appearance before taking the stage as an award presenter to add the excitement. Fans will have an exclusive opportunity to see these stars up close and gain deeper insights into the history and significance of the AFA.
 
For more details on dates, screening films and guests, please visit the AFA website.
 
For Asian Cinerama (Screening Events): afa-academy.com/20250227_en/
For Featured Program (Masterclass and Talk Events): afa-academy.com/20250225_en/
 
The Asian Cinerama and Featured Programs are presented by the Asian Film Awards Academy and supported by the The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency and the Film Development Fund, and tickets are available now.
 

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The 18th Asian Film Awards Red Carpet and Award Ceremony
Date: March 16, 2025 (Sunday)
Location: Grand Theatre, Xiqu Centre, WestK
Address: 88 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
*Please see the 18th AFA’s nomination list here.
The prestigious event will be streamed live on the AFAA’s official YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@AsianFilmAwardsAcademy) from 18:00 Japan Time onwards (17:00 Hong Kong Time).
 

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Asian Film Awards (AFA) afa-academy.com
The Asian Film Awards was inaugurated in 2007, where members of AFAA are drawn from its past nominees and winners. The category of awards includes Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. Members vote for the Asian Film Awards and participate in various AFAA activities involving film professionals and audiences in Asia and around the world.
 
Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA)
The Asian Films Awards Academy, a non-profit organization, was founded by Busan, Hong Kong and Tokyo International Film Festivals with the shared goal of celebrating excellence in Asian cinema. Aiming to promote and recognize Asian films and its talents, AFAA highlights, strengthens and develops Asian film industry through the annual Asian Film Awards and several year-round initiatives.