SIGNIS Award in Asian International Film Festival (中文)

 Introduced to Asia once again at the 30th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), the SIGNIS Award was presented in the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on April 13th, 2006. The Most Reverend John Tong, Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong, presented the award to <C.R.A.Z.Y.>, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee (Canada).

The Most Reverend John Tong, Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong presented SIGNIS Award during the award gala

"Director Jean-Marc Vallee situates this family saga, which runs over 40 years, in a deeply Catholic-rooted part of French speaking Canada. He tells of the way a family coped with potentially destructive crisis due to the generation conflicts and important cultural changes which marked these years. He shows the importance of family values to overcome difficulties."

<C.R.A.Z.Y.>

A Commendation was given to The Blossoming of Maximo Aliveros directed by Auraeus Solito (Philippines).

"In his first feature film the director reflects on a real story of hope, situated in the Philippines, about a young boy who faces in a crucial choice between right and wrong in a painful process during which he decides to reject violence and goes his own way."

Another Commendation was given to The Silent Holy Stones directed by Wanmacaidan (Tibet).

"In this first Tibetan feature the director brings a story based upon his own experiences. He wants to give an idea of the changes which are occuring in his homeland today. He also tries to show expressions of the traditional (but threatened) culture and how these are colliding with other cultures coming in with the modernization and globalization of society.

SIGNIS Jury (Left to Right): Catherine Wong, Guido Convents, Lilian Lui

(Left to Right): Catherine Wong, Guido Convents, Asano Tadanobu

 

SIGNIS Hong Kong had to wait for a few years before securing a public partnership with the HKIFF in 2003. And the SIGNIS Award was subsequently introduced again this year.

SIGNIS Jury and Peter Tsi, Executive Director Russell Edwards, David Bordwell, Guido Convents
of HKIFF(On the left)

The festival offered film buffs a 16-day feast of movies from all around the world. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Since its inauguration in 1977, the film festival has become a prominent event in the international film scene.

The SIGNIS Jury was composed of Guido Convents (Belgium), Film reviewer Catherine Wong (Hong Kong), independent documentary director Lilian Lui (China).

Catherine Wong
SIGNIS HONG KONG
April 18th, 2006