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Lloyd Lee Choi’s “Lucky Lu” claimed best film at the Malaysia Golden Global Awards, presented during the closing ceremony of the 9th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) on Saturday.
The U.S.-Canada co-production
took the awards’ top honor, while the jury recognized filmmakers from across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas in a ceremony that highlighted MIFFest’s increasingly international competition.
Egyptian filmmaker Morad Mostafa won best director for “Aisha Can’t Fly Away,” a multinational co-production spanning Egypt, France, Germany, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Sudan.
Chilean-Argentine-Italian drama “The Red Hangar” emerged as one of the evening’s biggest winners, taking both best screenplay for Luis Emilio Guzmán and best cinematography for Diego Peguero. Accepting the cinematography prize, Peguero said: “This movie starts with a group of friends. I’m very proud that we turned our passion into such a great film.”
Sri Lankan drama “Riverstone” also collected two acting awards, with Mahendra Perera winning best actor and Priyantha Sirikumara taking best supporting actor.
Taiwan picked up one of the night’s acting honors as Audrey Lin won best supporting actress for “Girl.”
The best actress award was shared by Ong Xuan Jing for Singapore’s “Ah Girl” and Lila Gueneau for “Silent Rebellion.” “Ah Girl” also received the New Hope Award, recognizing director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla.
The Audience Choice Award went to Spanish-French production “Sirât,” directed by Oliver Laxe.
The ceremony also honored Chinese actor, filmmaker and producer Wu Jing with the Excellent Achievement Award. Wu attended the festival for a special screening of “Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert,” directed by Yuen Woo-ping. Accepting the honor, Wu thanked his collaborators and family, reserving his biggest thanks for his wife, whom he credited for her unwavering support throughout his career.
Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Lee said on stage: “I would like to accept this award not as a recognition, but as encouragement to keep making movies in the future.”
This year’s awards reflected MIFFest’s growing international reach, with winners representing North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Southeast Asian cinema also maintained a strong presence through honors for filmmakers from Singapore, Sri Lanka and Taiwan.
FULL WINNERS LIST
Best Film: “Lucky Lu” (Dir. Lloyd Lee Choi)
Best Director: Morad Mostafa, “Aisha Can’t Fly Away”
Best Actress: Ong Xuan Jing, “Ah Girl” (tie); Lila Gueneau, “Silent Rebellion” (tie)
Best Actor: Mahendra Perera, “Riverstone”
Best Supporting Actress: Audrey Lin, “Girl”
Best Supporting Actor: Priyantha Sirikumara, “Riverstone”
Best Screenplay: Luis Emilio Guzmán, “The Red Hangar”
Best Cinematography: Diego Peguero, “The Red Hangar”
New Hope Award: “Ah Girl” (Dir. Ang Geck Geck Priscilla)
Audience Choice Award: “Sirât” (Dir. Oliver Laxe)
Excellent Achievement Award: Wu Jing
Lifetime Achievement Award: Lee Chang-dong
