8 Feb - The Asian Film Awards Academy (AFA Academy or AFAA) has announced that the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award at the 16th Asian Film Awards (AFA16) will be presented to renowned Japanese actor Hiroshi Abe. "I am very honoured to receive the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award," said Abe. "I am truly surprised to receive such a big award like the AFA. When I heard about the honour, I was so happy and grateful to have my crew by my side, who have been with me all these years, so I could share it with everyone." Dr. Wilfred Wong, Chairman of the AFA Academy, said: "His position in the Japanese entertainment industry is one of a kind. Abe's love of acting has brought freshness and vitality to Japanese film and television, and he is a major contributor to the development of Japanese entertainment." The actor will be accepting the award at the awards ceremony to be held in Hong Kong on March 12, 2023.
The Excellence in Asian Cinema Award aims to highlight distinguished talents and affirm their achievements and contributions to the Asian film industry and culture. Abe will be the third Japanese recipient to receive the award, following Miki Nakatani at the 9th AFA (2015) and Koji Yakusho at the 13th AFA (2019). Previous AFA special award winners include Lee Byung-Hun, Amitabh Bachchan, Zhang Yimou, as well as Michelle Yeoh.
Abe's acting career has spanned more than 30 years since his debut in Haikara-san ga Toru in 1987. He has appeared in more than 90 films in Japan and abroad, taking on daring and challenging roles. He has acted in many international productions, his first starring role being in the Hong Kong co-production "Saga of the Phoenix" (1990), and in the Tokyo-set action film "Tokyo Raiders" (2000), in which he starred alongside Tony Leung and other renowned Asian stars.