That will make for a crowded field in 2022, and why wait that long anyway? So in lieu of this year’s official Hong Kong Film Awards, here are STYLE’s very own cinematic honours.

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A number of the best films released in 2020 were already nominated and awarded at the delayed 39th Hong Kong Film Awards in May – the likes of Suk Suk, Beyond the Dream and My Prince Edward, and are thus not included here. Other films that premiered outside Hong Kong last year without a wider release – such as Ann Hui’s Love After Love, shown at the Venice Film Festival – have also not been considered.

Best Film – Shadows

A highlight of last year’s curtailed Hong Kong International Film Festival, Shadows has yet to see a general release thanks to the pandemic. Chances are without that, it would have been a big winner at this year’s awards. The film’s premise – with the mystical power to delve into people’s subconscious, Ching, a psychiatrist, discovers that a social worker is compelled by an inner voice to kill his family and commit suicide – sounds rather hokey, but this dark psychological thriller twists and turns to excellent effect.

Best Director – Glenn Chan (Shadows)

Best Screenplay – Apart

Writing a film about the 2014 Occupy protests in the wake of 2019’s anti-extradition protests requires walking a fine line. It’s to the credit of writer and director of Apart, Chan Chit-man, that he successfully made a film that provides a nuanced take on the political issues of both events, while also crafting an engaging human drama.

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Best Actor – Carlos Chan (You Are the One)

Best Actress – Stephy Tang (Shadows)

Let’s give credit where credit is due. In the last 12 months Stephy Tang has matured into an actor of serious ability. Previously, she seemed little more than a pretty face. However, in both My Prince Edward and Shadows she showed hitherto hidden talent. She is at the heart of Shadows and she plays her role expertly, subtly conveying both her pain and the darkness in her past. It’s no wonder she told reporters that working on the film was an emotionally draining experience, revealing, “Sometimes I felt like crying for no apparent reason.”

Best Supporting Actor – Zeno Koo Ting-hin (Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down)

Although Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down is an anthology film, each story with different actors and only getting a short time to shine, the film is home to some of the most touching cinematic stories from last year (outside those already nominated and awarded at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards). Zeno Koo’s small role as a brother reminiscing about Hong Kong’s past in the toy shop owned by his parents is a gentle performance that, however brief, stands out in the memory.

Best Supporting Actress – Jessica Jann (Enter the Fat Dragon)

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Best New Performer – Gladys Li (You Are the One)

Speaking of breakout performances, Gladys Li certainly accomplished that in You Are the One. Previously the actor had been stuck in bit part roles where her appearances were blink-and-you’ll-miss-it. She grabs her opportunity here with both hands, delivering a charismatic and touching performance despite the clichéd nature of the film she’s in.

Best New Director – Chan Chit-man (Apart)

Competition in this category is fierce, but since we opted to give Glenn Chan best director, let’s show some love to another new director, Apart’s Chan Chit-man. A reliable journeyman actor since the early 1990s, Chan switched to directing last year and it seems he may have found a new calling, so good were the results on Apart.

Shadows and whatever else comes in the next 12 months are likely to overshadow (no pun intended) Apart come the 2020 film awards, but that shouldn’t deny Chan some well-deserved recognition.

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Best Film from Mainland and Taiwan – A Sun (Taiwan)

Technically, A Sun was released in 2019 but it only reached a wider audience last year when it was picked up by Netflix. The film shows the disorder that results within a family when the youngest son is placed in juvenile detention. Touching on universal family values and issues stemming from family divisions between and among parents and children, A Sun ought to resonate with every viewer.

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