8th Asian Film Awards on 27 March 2014

Celebrating excellence in Asian cinema

This year's AFA sees 26 nominated films and will be held in Macau

The 8th Asian Film Awards takes place on
 27th March, at City of Dreams, Macau

Now into its 8th year, the awards ceremony for the annual Asian Film Awards (AFA) will happen on Thursday, the 27th of March this year. It will take place at the magnificent Dancing Water Theatre within Macau's City of Dreams, which is a casino and tourist resort. The AFA - which is often regarded as the Asian equivalent of the Oscars - was first introduced in 2007, and recognises the cinematic achievements of filmmakers within Asia.

7th AFA last year, held at the Hong Kong
Convention and Exhibition Centre

Celebrity guests Andy Lau and Sylvia Chang at the 7th AFA

From more than a thousand films, 26 of them were successfully nominated for the 14 different award categories this year; these nominations come from 13 countries and regions. The categories celebrate and honour the achievements of various groups of people, such as actors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and costume designers, among others. Six entries were nominated for this year's Best Film award: No Man's Land, The Grandmaster, The Great Passage, The Lunchbox, Snowpiercer, and Stray Dogs. The winners will be determined by a panel consisting of distinguished professionals in the film industry. Peter Ho-Sun Chan will head the panel, and his panel is joined alongside martial artist and filmmaker Donnie Yen, actress Carina Lau, and together with a number of judges from across the region. This includes Singapore film director Eric Khoo. Meanwhile, Jeon Do-yeon, who has won many awards including Best Actress at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, has been appointed as the ambassador for the 8th AFA.

The Grandmaster, released 10 Jan 2013
The film is nominated for 11 awards

Ilo Ilo, which premièred on 19 May 2013
The film is nominated for two awards

The Grandmaster, written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, is nominated in 11 out of the 14 categories, only missing out Best Newcomer as well as Best Supporting Actor and Actress. It is a martial arts-themed action drama film and staring Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi. Positively received - both critically and commercially - it has won five Golden Horses and also received two nominations at the 86th Academy Awards.

Just as noteworthy, the Singaporean family film Ilo Ilo bagged two nominations - namely 29 year old Anthony Chen for Best Director, and Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann for Best Supporting Actress. Ilo Ilo was presented with the Camera d'Or award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and subsequently took home four awards at the 50th Golden Horse Awards.

This is the first time the AFA will be held in a city other than Hong Kong. The 8th Asian Film Awards is organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy. The official website is www.asianfilmawards.asia.

Official poster for the 8th Asian Film Awards
"Celebrating Excellence in Asian Cinema"