Bet on the 2019 Hong Kong Film Awards: Fruit Chan to Win Best Director

Hong Kong has one of the biggest film industries in the world. On April 14th, the best films of the region will be awarded and the list of nominees is already out. According to our Best Director predictions, Fruit Chan is the best bet on the 2019 Hong Kong Film Awards.

The world is well aware that China bans and re-edits films that don’t comply with the values of the Communist Party. But as a former British colony and a semi-autonomous region, Hong Kong enjoyed a certain level of freedom of speech. However, online sportsbook news sites in Hong Kong SAR China report that this is relative nowadays, as the region appears to be more divided lately. This is affecting artists a lot, as they struggle to put in practice their creations.

Unfortunately, and as cinema is such a popular art form, the Hong Kong Film Awards are already facing controversies. In 2016, Ten Years, a dystopian film that showed a dark Hong Kong under the rule of Beijing, won Best Film. The Chinese media simply didn’t mention the achievement and the Government prohibited the ceremony’s broadcast across the mainland.

The following year, Trivisa, which won 5 awards at the ceremony, was, just like Ten Years, banned in China. And during the live coverage, every time there was a mention to the film, the authorities censored the transmission.

Last year, the winning film Our Time Will Come didn’t spark major political controversies. And the Shanghai International Film Festival even selected it to open the event. However, in the last minute, they decided the film was politically sensitive. 

For these reasons, our Best Director betting predictions are leading to Fruit Chan to win the award as his latest Three Husbands, not only was critically acclaimed but can also be another hint to the Government on how the board of directors will keep on fighting for artistic freedom.

Fruit Chan’s controversial attitude will earn him the award

The renowned director is the underdog according to the Best Director predictions, but Three Husbands certainly deserves the gamblers’ attention. Despite the impossibility of being screened in China, due to its provocative theme and tone, Chan was already considered Best Director by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society.

This unique story is about a woman who travels around Hong Kong on a boat to make her living as a prostitute. She is accompanied by her “three husbands” – who act more like her pimps, using her financially. 

This is the final film of the “Prostitute Trilogy” and Fruit Chan’s directing was as bold as it could be. But the story is more than a portray of sex workers. It also addresses other historical topics that are still part of Hongkongers’ lives, especially concerning their ties to China. Besides, the director decided to embrace the possibilities of technology. Towards the end, the image becomes almost monochromatic, depicting better the three parts of the film: Sea, Land, and Nothingness.

Considering some of the previous winners, the board of directors already proved they won’t participate in the Government’s propaganda. They will also not be part of Hong Kong’s recent wave of self-censorship.

In this way, Fruit Chan seems to be the most eligible for the award this year, despite his odds of 9.00 at 22BET Sportsbook.

Sunny Chan’s subtle approach has good chances at our Best Director predictions

Sunny Chan’s directorial debut Men on the Dragon has been widely praised for its positive message while addressing Hong Kong’s turbulent political situation nowadays.  

The film follows three men in the midst of a midlife crisis. After participating in a strike against their company’s sacking, they decide to join the dragon boat team. By doing this, they try to show loyalty to the company and keep their jobs.

Chan finds a good balance in portraying these aging men trying to deal with contemporary womanhood. By not getting too sentimental, the film is able to be realistic while keeping a feelgood mood. Sunny Chan (8.00) is a strong candidate among the nominees and this might be his first directing award.

Chan Siu Kuen’s debut film is an important picture of Hong Kong

Chan Siu Kuen has just won New Best Director at the 13th Asian Film Awards with Still Human, which is set to compete in 8 categories at this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards.

Still Human is a story about a Filipina immigrant in Hong Kong who starts working as a domestic for a paralyzed man. Chan’s feature debut inevitably brings to mind the French film Intouchables. Nevertheless, the director is able to offer a vivid image of modern-day Hong Kong, exposing social issues in the region.

Chan Siu Kuen will certainly win awards in festivals all around the world with this film. And she might also surprise in the ceremony this year. Her odds of winning are 6.00 at 22BET Sportsbook.

Felix Chong guides us in an exciting thriller through the criminal world of art

Felix Chang’s Project Gutenberg is leading this year’s nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards and it was also a success among audiences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo2ACHvTRds

The crime thriller follows the hunt of a gang focused on counterfeiting, whose leader goes by the code-name “Painter”. So that the Hong Kong police can track down his identity, they recruit Lee Man, an art forger.

This is only the second film that Chong directs. He is, above all, a very accomplished screenwriter. And his skills certainly helped this story. Project Gutenberg profits from the director’s well-crafted pacing, which he carefully puts in practice by providing plot twists that surprise the audiences through the 190 minutes.

This way, the Best Director predictions at 22BET Sportsbook are optimistic about Felix Chong (2.50).

The safest bet on the 2019 Hong Kong Film Awards is Dante Lam

Operation Red Sea is the last film of Dante Lam and was a huge success among audiences, becoming the 2nd highest grossing Chinese film of all time.

Set during the 2015 Yemeni Civil War, the story depicts the evacuation of Chinese citizens from Aden. Lam’s film and its spectacle approach immediately recall influences from Hollywood, such as Michael Bay.

Despite relegating his character’s emotional depth to the background, he still brings visual intensity to this war-themed film. His mastery of the action genre has already earned him the Best Director award in 2008 for his film Beast Stalker.

The film was the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. At online sportsbook sites in Hong Kong SAR China, Lam’s odds (2.00) of winning the award again are very high.