The Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony was held on April 3, with the best picture award given to Ten Years, a Hong Kong independent film centering on Hong Kong’s political and social issues since its return to China. The win turned the film into the evening’s focus of attention. Despite China’s efforts to slam and ban the film, Ten Years still claimed Hong Kong’s biggest award. When it was declared the winner, thunderous applause resounded. Producer Andrew Choi said in his acceptance speech, “Thank you, the Hong Kong Film Awards, for having the guts to give this award to us.” He added, “Thank you all, fellow Hong Kongers. Indeed, it is still not too late.”
Ten Years is an amalgam of five vignettes, all of which pose the question, “What will become of Hong Kong in 10 years’ time?” In view of the film’s themes that satirize Hong Kong’s politics and reflect what is currently taking place in Hong Kong’s society, the Chinese government is fairly unnerved and has done its best to curtail the film’s screening.
Surprisingly for China, its ban on the film actually put Ten Years under the spotlight. More and more cinemas began screening it and there were few empty seats. It was even screened in several communities free of charge and received widespread acclaim. The film’s production cost was HK$500,000, but up to the day of the awards it had taken more than HK$6 million at the box office. In their acceptance speeches, the producers said the film was not made to make money or win awards, but to speak out for the citizens of Hong Kong, as it gives a truthful account of the apprehension and fear that has been surrounding today’s Hong Kong society.
Photo courtesy of Joint Entertainment International Inc
照片：佳映娛樂提供
Hong Kong Film Awards chairman Derek Yee, who decided to present the best picture award himself, did so after first quoting former US president Franklin D Roosevelt: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)
香港金像獎於四月三日舉行，贏得最佳電影的獨立電影《十年》討論香港回歸中國後的政治與社會議題，成為最大亮點。儘管中國點名批判及施壓，《十年》卻一舉奪得電影最大獎。宣布得獎的當下，現場響起如雷掌聲。該片監製蔡廉明致辭強調：「多謝金像獎夠膽頒這個獎給我們。」更表示：「感謝所有香港人，真的一切為時未晚！」
《十年》由五段故事集結合成，打著「十年後，香港會變成怎麼樣？」的標語，以諷刺香港政治、反映社會現況為主軸，讓中國官方非常忌憚，全力封殺此片。
沒想到中方禁播反使得《十年》成話題之作，多家電影院跟進上映而連場爆滿，更在多個社區免費放映，引起甚大回響。本片以五十萬港幣成本製作，至頒獎典禮當天累計票房已破六百萬港幣。劇組昨致詞提到，這部作品沒有商業和得獎考量，是為了香港市民發聲而生，該片也真實反映了香港當下社會的焦慮與恐懼。
決定親自頒發這獎項的金像獎主席爾冬陞，頒獎前則引用美國前總統羅斯福的名言強調：「我們唯一需要恐懼的，是恐懼本身」。
〔自由時報綜合報導〕
TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字
1. thunderous applause phr.
如雷掌聲 (ru2 lei2 zhang3 sheng1)
例: At the end of her speech, students broke into thunderous applause.
(她演講結束的時候，學生爆出如雷掌聲。)
2. satirize v.
諷刺 (feng4 ci4)
例:He satirizes his classmates to show how little he cares about them.
(他藉由諷刺同學來表現自己有多不在乎他們。)
3. speak out v. phr.
發聲 (fa1 sheng1)
例: I speak out for dogs because animals cannot speak for themselves.
(我為狗發聲，因為動物無法為自己發聲。)
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