Wang Xueqi "The十月Siege"
Aaron Kwok "Murderer"
Nomination for Best Actor
After more than thirty years in the industry, Simon Yam has witnessed the growth of the Hong Kong Film Awards. He regrets not being able to stand with his peers wearing masks in 2003 to pay final respects to Leslie Cheung. This year, he was nominated for Best Actor for a second time and frankly stated that his happiest moment was shooting a film representative of Hong Kong's characteristics. He also revealed that he might direct his first film in the future to give back to his fans.
The red carpet is a great opportunity for actresses to showcase their beauty. When asked about the most eye-catching actress, Simon Yam highly recommended Pang Dan: She suddenly cut a hole at her hip area, who could be more daring? I really admire her designer. His partner, Wu Junru, accidentally exposed herself and became the Best Actress that year. Simon Yam joked immediately: This year, she will definitely not have any issues when entering holding hands with me.
Shooting "The Night and Fog of Tianshuiwei" was mentally and physically exhausting. Of course, the character had to endanger his own loved ones, which made the audience feel tense and uneasy. However, Simon Yam had a different perspective: He is very pitiful, just a small man with an inflated sense of pride. Both films nominated are his proud works, no wonder Brother Hua jokingly said he hopes to win both Best Actor awards. He also described himself as fighting alone this time: "It's like 'The October Siege' is a high-quality commercial movie, many supporting actors helped Wang Xueqi, who is also nominated for Best Actor, stand out even more." (Do you want to win?) I hope Lady Luck continues to favor me.
The Hong Kong Film Award is stepping into its 29th year. Simon Yam has been nominated multiple times and has long faced gains and losses with equanimity. Witnessing the many relocations of the venue representing the local film industry gala, there was even a groundbreaking year when blue and purple carpets replaced the traditional glamorous red carpet. Simon Yam candidly admitted: The blue carpet year was just to accommodate advertising sponsors, but I think it conveys the same good message. There are ways to do things with less money, without necessarily being influenced by others. His persistence is like how he has never accepted any brand clothing sponsorship for his appearance at the gala. He said: I feel most comfortable wearing my own clothes. How should I say this? I have a model's figure, haha.
Simon Yam "The Night and Fog of Tianshuiwei"
Most Profound Mask Sea
Plans to Become a Director
"The Time Thief" has been widely popular, fostering a husband-wife duo with Junru. Both are nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress this year. Simon Yam laughed and said that after talking with Law Chi-leung for less than three minutes, before finishing the pineapple bun offered by the other party, he already agreed to celebrate with joyous anticipation: That story is very moving, and it is a Hong Kong local characteristic film, which should be supported. Losing his father at a young age, he unexpectedly gained memories of the past father-son relationship while filming. He said: My father gave me a very stern impression. As a child, I once went swimming and didn't return home on time for dinner, so I had to kneel down and let him hit me. But it cultivated my habit of punctuality later... While filming, hitting the young actor reminded me of my late father's teachings ah, actually, I was more mischievous than my two sons when I was a child.
Simon Yam
Filming "The Time Thief" Recalling Father-Son Affection
Having been in the film industry for over thirty years, Simon Yam frankly stated that he is planning to transition behind the scenes and hopes to direct his first film next year. In fact, during the filming of "The Time Thief" on Wing Lee Street, he already used a camcorder to shoot a documentary as a trial run. Although he hasn't planned how to publicly release it yet, he still meticulously handled the music and editing, allowing himself to temporarily indulge in directing.
Simon Yam "The Time Thief"
In 2003, while filming "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" in the UK, SARS suddenly hit Hong Kong and Leslie Cheung passed away, causing that year's Film Award ceremony to be held under a cloud of sorrow. That year, the screen was filled with a sea of masks, concealing everyone's appearances, but unable to mask the bleeding hearts of all: Although I couldn't be present with everyone to face everything, this scene remains vivid in my memory until now. It's said that the number of absentees among peers that year was the highest in many years, showing that everyone was actually very united.
Liu Qingyun "Overheard"