THE Asian Film Awards Academy recently revealed the nominees for the 15th Asian Film Awards (AFA15), as announced by the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in a press statement. Chinese director Zhang Yimou is the nominal front-runner for awards, leading the field with a combined 11 nominations for his two latest films, “One Second” and “Cliff Walkers.” While the spy thriller “Cliff Walkers” has the most nominations — six, of which four are in the technical categories — it is Zhang’s homage to cinema set during China’s “Cultural Revolution,” “One Second,” that is in contention for the top prizes such as best picture, best director and best actor. The five nominations for “One Second” are matched by Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s World War II drama “Wife of a Spy,” another nominee for best picture. That category is rounded out by South Korean historical film “The Book of Fish” (with four nominations); Indian music drama “The Disciple” (with two), winner for best screenplay at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival; and Japanese anthology “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” (also with two nominations), the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner at 2021 the Berlin Film Festival. For AFA15, 36 films produced in eight Asian regions made the final round. Chinese Hong Kong cinema is represented by three films: Soi Cheang Pou-soi’s as-yet-unreleased crime thriller “Limbo,” up for four awards, including a best actor nomination for Lam Ka-tung; the poverty drama “Drifting,” whose stars Tse Kwan-ho and Loletta Lee Lai-chun are nominated for best supporting actor and actress; and dance sequel “The Way We Keep Dancing,” for best original music. The winners of the 2021 Asian Film Awards will be decided by a jury headed by South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong, the AFA’s lifetime award recipient in 2019 and director of “Oasis,” “Secret Sunshine,” “Poetry” and “Burning.” Other jury members are yet to be announced. Winners will be announced Oct. 8 at a hybrid ceremony, which combines on-site attendance in Busan, South Korea — in conjunction with the Busan International Film Festival — and online participation. The awards are presented annually by the Asian Film Awards Academy to recognize the excellence of the film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema. The Asian Film Awards Academy is an organization jointly established in 2013 by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the BIFF and the Tokyo International Film Festival for the development of Asian cinema. The academy has held the AFA in commemoration and celebration of filmmakers who have cultivated the Asian film industry. (SD-Agencies) | 