Yee Chih-Yen's Meeting Dr. Sun Wins Twin Awards at the Touching Climax of OAFF!
MC HASHIZUME Yuko,
Announcer at Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (right)
Audience Award
"MEETING DR. SUN" (Taiwan), directed by YEE Chiih-Yen, gained the biggest part of the vote from the audience and won Audience Award of the year. On the stage, YEE told the audience that his three-day stay in Osaka had been very enjoyable because of their warm welcome. The honor of winning the award will greatly motive him to go on writing and filming. He also wished to come back to Osaka in the future.
Yakushi Pearl Award
Yakushi Pearl Award for the most lustrous actor has been newly established at this edition. The honor was given to Preechaya PONGTHANANIKOM, who performed the leading role in "I FINE..THANK YOU..LOVE YOU" (Thailand). Director Mez THARATORN appeared on the stage on behalf of Preechaya and accepted the prize. Mez also received a shining pearl necklace from Koji YAKUSHI and thanked the audience and the festival staff for her.
ABC Award
"THE CONTINENT" (China), directed by HAN Han, won ABC Award. The film will be aired on Asahi Broadcasting.
Special Mention
Special Mention was given to Charlene CHOI, who played the leading role in "SARA" (Hong Kong). Director Herman YAU told on the stage that Charlene missed her visit to Osaka because of ongoing shooting in Hong Kong, but she would definitely be proud about accepting the award.
Most Promising Talent Award
Most Promising Talent Award was given to Mez THARATORN for directing "I FINE..THANK YOU..LOVE YOU" (Thailand). Participating the festival made him glad enough, and winning such a prize was beyond his expectation. He delivered gratitude from the whole crew of his film to OAFF staff and the audience.
Grand Prix (Best Picture Award)
"MEETING DR. SUN" by YEE Chiih-Yen won another award of the festival, the most prestigious award of Grand Prix. "I'm so glad about this unexpected honor. As the acceptant of the award, I'm now ready to give it another shot to film something more. I thank you, the jury members, and the OAFF." ZHAN Huai-Yun and WEI Han-Ting also thanked people through their brief speeches of joy.
PANG Ho-Cheung spoke on behalf of the jury in the end of the ceremony.
Jury: YOON Jin-seo(left), TAKEDA Rina
President of Jury: PANG Ho-Cheung
Comment from Jury President PANG Ho-Cheung
It was not an easy task to choose the winners, knowing the amount of hardwork and dedication required in making each film.
Ms. Charlene Choi won Special Mention for her performance in “Sara”. Ten years on screen, she took up this challenging role and transformed herself from a pretty face to a true actress.
Director Mez Tharatorn showed remarkable talent with “I Fine.. Thank You.. Love You”. Audiences often have difficulty understanding comedy produced in other countries, but this film allowed viewers to understand and enjoy the humor, while deftly avoiding exaggeration.
“Meeting Dr. Sun” is the story of boys planning to steal a statue. A closer look reveals that it is also about the daily life of citizens and the current political situation in Taiwan. The director succeeded in bringing out the best of the young actors with simple dialogues and delicate expression of emotions.
Closing｜Special Screenings “ODE TO MY FATHER”
Director: YUN Je-gyun
