‘A Separation’ shines at Asian film awards

HONG KONG - Agence France-Presse

Iranian actress Leila Hatami poses on the red carpet at the Asian Film Awards. REUTERS photo

Iranian film “A Separation” was the stand out picture at the Asian Film Awards on Monday, winning top prizes including best film and best director, while China took home six gongs.

The movie, which won Iran’s first-ever Oscar for best foreign language film last month, won four out of five nominations it received at the top Asian film event. The two other awards were for best screenwriter and best editor. The only nomination that it did not win was in the best actress category, which went to Hong Kong’s veteran actress Deanie Ip for her role as a loyal servant in the film “A Simple Life”. “This is an absolute honor,” the film’s lead actress Leila Hatami said as she received the best film award on behalf of director Asghar Farhadi who was absent.

“I want to say a very sincere thank you,” Hatami, who was clad in a black Islamic headscarf, told the crowd at the glitzy ceremony in Hong Kong’s harbourside convention centre late March 19.

The Asian Film Awards have been traditionally dominated by South Koreans -- but there were no South Korean winners this year.