The 10th edition of the Asian Film Awards took place at The Venetian in Macau on Thursday, March 17th. While HOU Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin was the big winner of the night with eight awards, including nods for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress (SHU Qi), a pair of Korean nominees didn’t leave empty-handed, as Inside Men and The Throne were recognized for Best Actor and Best Costume Design, respectively.

 

Beating out nominees such as Donnie YEN (Ip Man 3) and FENG Xiaogang (Mr. Six), LEE Byung-hun earned the Best Actor award for his part in WOO Min-ho’s hit thriller Inside Men. The Throne earned the Best Costume Design prize for LEE Ji-yeon and SHIM Hyun-seop, and was the only film to beat The Assassin during the show.

 

Going into the night, the major Korean nominee was RYOO Seung-wan’s Veteran, which was nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Editing, but as expected, HOU’s martial arts arthouse hit left little room for other nominees. Yet the Korean presence was significant at the AFAs this year, as each category featured at least one nominee.

 

The evening was also hosted by Korean singer and actress Clara, while entertainment was provided by K-pop supergroup A-Pink which performed two of its hit songs.