5 Dec – The first ever ASEAN-China Film Festival (ACFF) ended on a high note with its star-studded closing ceremony yesterday at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), Malaysia. Taking home the honour of Best Feature Film was China's very own "Wolf Warrior 2", starring one of the country's top martial arts stars, Wu Jing. "I'm very delighted and honoured to be awarded by the 2017 ASEAN-China Film Festival, this is a very high prize for my movie," said the actor who was present at the ceremony to accept the award. Adding that movies are a good way to showcase to the world of one's country's cultures, the actor said that he is "looking forward to working with the elites from ASEAN countries in the film industry". The action blockbuster is proving to be a success for Wu Jing as not only is it grossing a remarkable amount worldwide, it has also been picked as China's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at next year's Academy Awards.
Malaysia's Jack Tan once again did the country proud when he was awarded Best Actor for his performance in "Shuttle Life". This marks the third Best Actor win for Tan, who previously won the same accolade at the Asian New Talent competition of the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival and at the 12th Chinese Young Generation Film Forum Awards.
The Best Director award went to Singapore's Jack Neo, whose "Long Long Time Ago 2" cast accepted the award on his behalf as the busy director is currently filming yet another movie in his home country. Best Actress winner Laila Ulao, who starred in the Philippines' "Women of the Weeping River", was also unable to attend the ceremony and director Sheron Dayoc accepted the award on her behalf. Aside from the main categories, the 2017 ASEAN-China Film Festival Special Jury Prize were also awarded to (in order) "Rina 2" (Brunei), "King Selfie" (Cambodia), "#66" (Indonesia), "Swan Lifts Turtles" (Laos), "By Coincidence" (Myanmar), "Wandering" (Thailand) and "Saigon, I Love You" (Vietnam). The 2017 ASEAN-China Film Festival is held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of ASEAN. The second ASEAN-China Film Festival will be held next year in Xiamen, China.