Hong Kong first-time filmmaker Nick Cheuk Yik-him won best new director at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards on Saturday night for his socially conscious drama about family trauma and student suicides.
During his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony in Taipei, Cheuk paid tribute to the friend whose suicide inspired Time Still Turns The Pages.
“I would like to thank my friend who is resting in heaven,” he said. “I know I will never be able to return to that night and give my friend a hug before he went, but I wish that those who choose to stay behind may each feel a hug.”
Child actor Sean Wong Tsz-lok in a still from Time Still Turns the Pages.
Cheuk also thanked his girlfriend for staying by his side and supporting him as he struggled with the strain of making his first feature film.
“When I was shooting the movie, I was … diagnosed with depression,” he said. “But I thank my girlfriend, whose beautiful soul walked me through the darkness.”
The other nominated films by young Hong Kong directors are In Broad Daylight (with five nods, including Jennifer Yu Heung-ying for best leading actress), The Lyricist Wannabe (with two, including Chung Suet-ying for lead actress).
Among them, actress Yoyo Tse also won best new performer for her role in Sasha Chuk’s Fly Me to the Moon, which already bagged the Fipresci Prize from the International Federation of Film Critic on Friday.
Cheuk earlier told the Post the idea for the movie stems from the 36-year-old director’s own experience 14 years ago when the close friend from university took his own life.
The tragedy led Cheuk to contemplate the pervasiveness of dejection among Hong Kong youth, which the filmmaker could also relate to as a student.
“I was a sentimental kid … who suffered great pressure in academics as I was never a high achieving student. I only got eight marks in the public exam, and I felt like a loser,” Cheuk said.
Jennifer Yu (left) and David Chiang Tai-wai in a still from In Broad Daylight, which is among the films from Hong Kong directors in the running at this year’s awards. Photo: Handout
“Movies are not about getting high scores but being honest to yourself and your creativity,” he said. “I used to think I was stupid because of my poor grades, but later, I realised it was not the case after I gained different skills in film studies, such as photography and communication.”
The director’s father, Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, earlier cheered his son’s Audience Choice Award win and said: “parents are happy to see their child doing the work he likes”.
The filmmaker stands a chance of picking another three trophies from the official nominations for best narrative feature, best original screenplay and best film editing.
The annual ceremony has seen a fifth-year absence of stars from mainland China since Beijing boycotted the event in 2019 over political tensions.
News Related-
Hong Kong police to recruit 137 city students from mainland Chinese universities following year-long talent attraction drive
-
Hong Kong primary school pupils may not need to sit written tests, exams in new humanities subject, education minister says
-
COP28: To cut carbon, Hong Kong must first learn to put a price on it
-
Hongkongers in subdivided flats offered health checks, support from social workers under scheme by Jockey Club, local university
-
Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong centre helps ethnic minority children with special needs get on track
-
Why Hong Kong must adopt nature-based solutions in the Northern Metropolis
-
‘Time travel’ tourism in Hong Kong – could it be the boost the city needs to attract more international visitors?
-
‘You have to adapt’: why Hongkongers living in UK feel move was worth it, despite less money and fewer friends
-
Red panda population at Hong Kong Ocean Park to increase, as more on the way from mainland China
-
Drug giant AstraZeneca to open Hong Kong R&D centre by late 2024 at earliest with focus on cell and gene therapies
-
Hong Kong government pilots fly into eye of typhoons to better understand their secrets
-
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific expects first annual profit in 4 years, passenger numbers to reach 95% of pre-pandemic levels
-
How Hong Kong will benefit from a more diverse civil service
-
Patriotic education on Chinese Communist Party and national security only small part of new Hong Kong humanities curriculum, course designer says