The High Life wins big at HKIFF

The Lantern Films production The High Life, directed by Zhao Dayong, took away two of the eight awards given at last night’s Awards Gala for the 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Zhao Dayong’s feature debut, The High Life received the prestigious FIPRESCI prize, given by the International Federation of Film Critics, “for its poetic, profound and modern style of fragmented beauty with an aesthetic critique of society.” The film was also awarded the Silver Prize in the Asian Digital Competition.

[ABOVE: The High Life director Zhao Dayong (far right) stands with Tangle director Yang Heng, FIPRESCI commendation winner, and FIPRESCI jury members.]

At Screen Daily, Liz Shacketon wrote:

Zhao Dayong’s The High Life picked up both the Silver Digital Award the FIPRESCI prize at the 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), while the Golden Digital Award went to Yang Heng’s Sun Spots.

The festival’s Asian Digital Competition encourages young filmmakers in Asia to explore the potential of digital media. Yang previously took the FIPRESCI prize at the 31st HKIFF for Betelnut.

The High Life, which follows a group of lost souls living in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, is Zhao’s feature debut. The FIPRESCI Special Mention went to Tangle, the directorial debut of award-winning DoP Liu Yonghong (Blind Shaft). Jurors for the Asian Digital Competition included Tokyo Filmex director Hayashi Kanako and directors Brillante Mendoza and Yonfan.

More coverage of the HKIFF awards is available at Screen Daily and the Hollywood Reporter.

[ABOVE: Winners at the HKIFF Awards Gala pose with jury members.]