Ha Jung-woo (left) and Xu Fan, best actor and actress winners respectively, pose with their awards at the backstage of the Fifth Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on March 21 (CFP)

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, the Thailand masterful work by Apichatpong Weerasethakul was awarded Best Film at the 5th Asian Film Awards (AFA), held on March 21 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The film also won the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, and was the first Asian film to win the award since 1997.

The film tells the story of the last days in the life of an old man in northern Thailand. Painterly beautiful and meditative, Uncle Boonmee is a masterful work on the eternal themes of death and memory.

Veteran South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong took home best director and best screenplay for Poetry. Another South Korean, Ha Jung-woo, won best actor for his role in The Yellow Sea.

Chinese actress Xu Fan won best actress for her role in the earthquake epic Aftershock, which also won for best visual effects.

A total of 14 awards and three special awards were presented at the glamorous ceremony attended by a dazzling ensemble of celebrities, international guests, and prominent figures in film industry.

The winners of the 5th AFA are:

- Best Film

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand)

- Best Director

Lee Chang-dong / Poetry (South Korea)

- Best Actor

Ha Jung-woo / The Yellow Sea (South Korea)

- Best Actress

Xu Fan / Aftershock (Chinese mainland / Hong Kong)

- Best Newcomer

Mark Chao You-Ting / Monga (Taiwan)

- Best Supporting Actor

Sammo Hung Kam-po / Ip Man 2 (Hong Kong)

- Best Supporting Actress

Yoon Yeo-jeong / The Housemaid (South Korea)

- Best Screenplay

Lee Chang-dong / Poetry (South Korea)

- Best Cinematographer

Mark Lee Ping-Bin / Norwegian Wood (Japan)

- Best Production Designer

Hayashida Yuji / 13 Assassins (Japan)

- Best Music Score

Indian Ocean / Peepli Live (India)

- Best Editing

Nam Na-young / I Saw the Devil (South Korea)

- Best Visual Effects

Phil Jones, Zhang Yan-ming / Aftershock (Chinese mainland / Hong Kong)

- Best Costume Designer

William Chang Suk-ping / Let the Bullets Fly (Chinese mainland / Hong Kong)

The recipients of the special awards of the 5Th AFA are:

- The Asian Film Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asian Cinema

Kim Dong-ho

- The Asian Film Award for Lifetime Achievement Award

Raymond Chow

- The Promotion of Asian Cinema Award

Fortissimo Films

- The Asian Film Award for 2010's Top-Grossing Film

Aftershock

(China.org.cn March 22, 2011)