The 45^th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF45) announced the winners of the Firebird Awards and FIPRESCI Prize with this year’s FIPRESCI Prize going to Chong Keat-aun’s The Story of Southern Islet.

Qi Rui’s The Day is Over was named Best Film of this year’s Young Cinema Competition (Chinese Language); and in the same section, Summer Blur garnered two awards – Best Director for Han Shuai and Best Actress for Huang Tian.

In the Young Cinema Competition (World), the jury named Ahmad Bahrami’s The Wasteland Best Film and Norika Sefa took Best Director for Looking for Venera with the jury commenting “Her delicate directing is consistent throughout the film.”

In the Documentary Competition, the jury unanimously awarded the Firebird Award to Mr. Bachmann and His Class by German director Maria Speth; and Kurdish filmmaker Hogir Hirori took the Jury Prize for Sabaya, a powerful documentary that illustrates a brutal world of war, extremism, and gender oppression.

The jury picked Motorcyclist’s Happiness Won’t Fit Into His Suit by Mexican filmmaker Gabriel Herrera as the winner in the Firebird Award Short Film Competition. The Jury Prize went to Russian filmmaker Sasha Svirsky’s Vadim on a Walk, while Emetjan Memet’s Blessed Winter received a Special Mention.

Award Winners of 45^th Hong Kong International Film Festival

Young Cinema Competition (Chinese Language)

Firebird Award
The Day is Over
Qi Rui

Best Director
Summer Blur
Han Shuai

Best Actor
Wuhai
Huang Xuan

Best Actress
Summer Blur
Huang Tian

Young Cinema Competition (World)

Firebird Award
The Wasteland
Ahmad Bahrami

Best Director
Looking for Venera
Norika Sefa

Best Actor
The Wasteland
Ali Bagheri

Best Actress
Looking for Venera
Kosovare Kraniqi

Documentary Competition

Firebird Award
Mr. Bachmann and His Class
Maria Speth

Jury Prize
Sabaya
Hogir Hirori

Short Film Competition

Firebird Award
Motorcyclist’s Happiness Won’t Fit Into His Suit
Gabriel Herrera

Jury Prize
Vadim on a Walk
Sasha Svirsky

Special Mention
Blessed Winter
Emetjan Memet

FIPRESCI Prize

FIPRESCI Prize
The Story of Southern Islet
Chong Keat-aun