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THE 41st HONG KONG FILM AWARDS - RULES AND REGULATION


(本英譯內容僅供參考，中英文內容文意不符者，以中文為準。 The English translated version is intended for reference only. If there is any discrepancy between the Chinese and English versions, the Chinese version shall govern.

I) ELIGIBILITY

2022 Hong Kong Films
Any Hong Kong film (see Note 2) will be spontaneously considered as participating in ‘The 41st Hong Kong Film Awards’ when its first-time release is held in Hong Kong theatrically during the period 1 January to 31 December 2022 for at least 5 shows in the conventional film screening theatres (see Note 1) which have 50 seats above in 7 consecutive days with paid admission, 60 minutes or more in duration, and by means of 35mm film or Digital Cinema format (see Note 8).


Categories of Awards
1. BEST FILM
2. BEST DIRECTOR
3. BEST SCREENPLAY
4. BEST ACTOR
5. BEST ACTRESS
6. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
7. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
8. BEST NEW PERFORMER (see Note 3)
9. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
10. BEST FILM EDITING
11. BEST ART DIRECTION 		12. BEST COSTUME & MAKE UP DESIGN
13. BEST ACTION CHOREOGRAPHY
14. BEST ORIGINAL FILM SCORE (see Note 4)
15. BEST ORIGINAL FILM SONG (see Note 5)
16. BEST SOUND DESIGN (see Note 6)
17. BEST VISUAL EFFECTS (see Note 7)
18. BEST NEW DIRECTOR (see Part IV)
19. BEST ASIAN CHINESE LANGUAGE FILM (see Part III)
Notice: Names of candidates and companies participating in election of any awards and/or the “Best Film” award shall be presented in the front or end roller credit of the Hong Kong releasing version.


(II) ELECTION PROCEDURES

First Round Election
  1. Two voting portions including (a) registered Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) Voters and (b) First Round Professional Adjudicators. The result of each group will comprise 50% of the first round total score. The 5 highest-scores of each category will enter into the Second Round Election (final assessment).

  2. HKFA Voter : Any person who fulfills the HKFA voter registration qualifications and have successfully registered with the Hong Kong Film Awards Association.

  3. The First Round Professional Adjudicators are comprised of professionals from the film industry and media. Its combination is determined and invited by the Voting Affairs Committee of HKFAA.

  4. There will be no more than five nominations in each award in principle, but with the following exceptions: (a) If there is a tie between two nominees in the fifth slot, six nominations will be permitted in that award; (b) If there are more than two nominees with equal scores in the fifth slot, the number of nominations for that award will be reduced to four.

  5. If an actor/actress is nominated for the same film in both leading and supporting role categories, the nomination will only be valid in the category for which he or she receives the higher score.

  6. Nominations that fail to fulfill the criteria stated in this booklet will be declared as ineligible, his/her nomination qualification will be withdrawn. Such vacancy will be replaced by the next highest scorer.

  7. The First Round Professional Adjudicators are not eligible to vote in the role of HKFA voter during the First Round Election and cannot be the Second Round Professional Adjudicators, but is eligible to vote, if applicable, in the role of member of Executive Committees of HKFAA in the Second Round Election.


THE 41st HONG KONG FILM AWARDS VOTING PORTIONS
First Round Election : For Nomination
Awards  All HKFA Voters Professional Adjudicators
Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best New Performer, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume & Make Up Design, Best Action Choreography, Best Original Film Score, Best Original Film Song, Best Sound Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Asian Chinese Language Film 50% 50%
Best New Director Members of Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild and HKFA Voters (limited to Film Critics Group and Film culture/education related profession Group) carry One (1) vote per person.


Second Round Election
  1. The Second Round Election (final assessment) is carried out through the voting by two groups (a) the Second Round Professional Adjudicators and (b) members of Executive Committees of HKFAA.

  2. The Second Round Professional Adjudicators are formed by film industry and media professionals. The combination is determined and invited by the Voting Affairs Committee of HKFAA. The result will comprise 55% of the second round total score. All Second Round Professional Adjudicators are eligible to vote, if applicable, in the role of HKFA voter in the First Round Election but not eligible to vote in the role of members of Executive Committees of HKFAA in the Second Round.

  3. Members of Executive Committees of HKFAA are eligible to vote on relevant professional awards and all other awards (see the following table). The result of relevant professional awards will comprise 25% while the result of other awards will comprise 20% of second round total score. All members could vote in the role of more than one membership but can cast only one vote for each award category in principal.

    4. THE 41st HONG KONG FILM AWARDS VOTING PORTIONS
    Second Round Election : Final Assessment
    Awards Members of relevant professional Executive Committees of HKFAA Members of remaining Executive Committees of HKFAA Professional Adjudicators
    Best Director
    Best New Director
    Best Visual Effects      		Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild 25% 20% 55%
    Best Screenplay Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild
    Best Actor, Actress
    Best Supporting Actor, Actress
    Best New Performer    		 Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild
    Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild
    Best Cinematography Best Visual Effects    		 Society of Cinematographers (H.K.)
    Best Action Choreography Hong Kong Stuntman Association
    Best Art Direction Best Costume & Make Up Design Best Visual Effects  Hong Kong Film Arts Association
    Best Film Editing Best Visual Effects  Society of Film Editors (H.K.)
    Best Original Film Score Best Original Film Song  Hong Kong Film Composers' Association
    Best Sound Design
    Best Film
    Best Asian Chinese Language Film    		 All Members of Executive Committees of HKFAA carry One vote per person.

    45%      		55%
    14 Executive Committees of HKFAA： Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild, Hong Kong Motion Picture Industry Association, Hong Kong Chamber of Films, Society of Film Editors (HK), Hong Kong Screen Writers' Guild, Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild, Hong Kong Stuntman Association, Society of Cinematographers (HK), Hong Kong Theatres Association, Hong Kong Film Arts Association, Hong Kong Movie Production Executives Association, Hong Kong Cinematography Lighting Association, Association of Motion Picture Post Production Professionals, Hong Kong Film Composers' Association.


  4. Should any of the Second Round Professional Adjudicator be nominated for any of the award, including the Presenter (or Co-Presenters etc.) Executive Producer (or Co-Producer, Executive Producer etc.), personnel in Production or Distributor of the “Best Film” and “Best Asian Chinese Language Film”, his/her vacancy will be replaced by another filmmaker of the same category decided by HKFAA Board of Directors.

  5. If there are tie scores between two nominees, both will win the award. However, if more than two nominees have equal scores, the Second Round Professional Adjudicators will vote again among the nominees with equal scores to determine the winner.


(III) Eligibility of “Best Asian Chinese Language Film”

Any Chinese film from Asian Region (non-Hong Kong Films) will be spontaneously considered as participating in election of the award “Best Asian Chinese Language Film“ in The 41st Hong Kong Film Awards when its first-time theatrically release is held in Hong Kong during the period 1 January to 31 December 2022 for at least 5 shows in the conventional film screening theatres (see Note 1) which have 50 seats above in 7 consecutive days with paid admission, 60 minutes or more in duration and by means of 35mm film or Digital Cinema format (see Note 8).

Definition of “Asian Chinese Language Film”

Language and region of eligible films MUST meet the following conditions:
  1. Chinese languages (including official and vernacular languages used in the Chinese-speaking regions of the world) should be used in at least 1/2 of the film (excluding dubbing). For film with no dialogue, it shall be decided by the subtitles of the original film. For animated film, it shall be decided by the dubbing of the original film.

  2. At least one of its film companies is legally registered in Asian Region, or one of its distribution companies is legally registered in Hong Kong. Its/their name(s) must be shown as the presenter(s) or distributor(s) in the front or end roller credit. “Asian Region” refers to the official countries/areas list assigned by the United Nations (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49)

Election Procedures:

First Round Election:

Two voting portions including (a) registered HKFA Voters and (b) First Round Professional Adjudicators. Each voter is eligible to select three films. The result of each group will comprise 50% of the first round total score. The 3 highest- scorers will enter into the Second Round Election with the following exception: (a) If there are tie scores between two nominees in the third slot, four nominations will be permitted in that award ; (b) If there are more than two nominees with equal scores in the third slot, the number of nominations for that award will be reduced to two.

Second Round Election:

The Second Round Election is carried out through the voting by two groups (a) the Second Round Professional Adjudicators and (b) Members of Executive Committees of HKFAA. Each member can cast one vote only. The result of Second Round Professional Adjudicators will comprise 55% while result of other members will comprise 45% of the second round total score. If there are tie scores between two nominees, the Second Round Professional Adjudicators will vote again to determine the award winner.


(IV) "BEST NEW DIRECTOR"

Eligibility:

1.Nominees of the Best New Director must be Hong Kong residents and holder of the Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards. No age limit.
2.Nominees must be the sole director of the film.
3.The film must be first released in Hong Kong theatrically during 1 January to December 31 2022, and meet the following requirements :
a.It must be held in Hong Kong with paid admission.
b.It had at least 5 shows in the conventional film screening theatres (see Note 2) which have 50 seats above in 7 consecutive days.
c.The film duration must be 60 minutes or more.
d.It has been released by means of 35mm film or Digital Cinema format (see Note 8).
4. The nominee shall only have directed with a maximum of 2 films (including the aforementioned film, and the films that had been released in Hong Kong or overseas meeting the requirements set out in Clause IV-3 above). A co-director credit will be considered as the nominee been directed a 0.5 in the counting accumulation of this award.
5. Nominee who have been nominated for similar awards is eligible to participate except for those who have won similar awards.

Election Procedures：

First Round Election
  • The First Round Election is carried out through the voting by members of the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild and HKFA voters (for Film Critics Group and Film culture/education related profession Group only) with one person, one vote.

  • There will be no more than three nominees in principle but with the following exception : (a) If there are two nominees with equal scores in the third slot, the number of nominations will be increased to four ; (b) If there are more than two nominees with equal scores in the third slot, the number of nominations for that award will be reduced to two.

  • If there are over 12 New Directors eligible for nomination, the nominations in principle will be changed from 3 to 5. If there are tie scores between two nominations in the fifth slot, six nominations will be permitted in that award. If there are more than two nominations with equal scores in the fifth slot, the number of nominations for that award will be reduced to four.
Second Round Election
  • The Second Round Election is carried out by the following three groups (a) The Second Round Professional Adjudicators ( 55% of the total score) ; (b) Members of the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild ( 25% of the total score) ; Other Members of Executive Committee of HKFAA ( 20% of the total score). If there are tie scores between two nominees, the Second Round Professional Adjudicators will vote again to determine the award winner.



(V) VOTING DEADLINE

Verified according to the post-marked date, any overdue vote will be declared as invalid.

First Round Election (Nomination Voting) – 27 January 2023
(By post or in person)

Second Round Election (Final Assessment) – 30 March 2023
(By post or in person)

*If any disputes or special cases arise throughout the election, the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association shall take into consideration the circumstances and reserves the right of final decision.


Notes:

Candidates who participate in election of any awards and companies electing in the “Best Film” award, the Name must be presented in the front or end roller credit of the Hong Kong releasing version.

(Note 1)
A film MUST release in conventional film screening theatres which recognized by HKFAA:
(I) Members of The Hong Kong Theatres Association Ltd (https://www.hktaorg.com/zh-hk/aboutus/1)
(II) Conventional film screening theatres under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, including Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Hong Kong Film Archive.
(III) Premises, which are regularly showing commercial films with “Cinema License” granted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and are confirmed by HKFAA.

(Note 2)
A film will be defined as “Hong Kong Film” when it meets at least two of the following criteria:
(I) The film director(s) must be a Hong Kong resident and holder of a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card.
(II) At least one of the film companies is legally registered in HKSAR.
(III) At least SIX persons from different working positions respectively, are Hong Kong residents and hold Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards. Only one Hong Kong resident will be counted for each working position. Working positions are counted base on the following 15 awards, including: Producer, Screenplay, Actor in a leading role, Actress in a leading role, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Action Choreography, Art Direction, Costume & Make Up Design, Film Editing, Original Film Score, Original Film Song, Sound Design and Visual Effects. (For example, if there are more than one Hong Kong residents participated in the creation of an “Original Film Song”, like composer, lyricist and singer, only one person will be counted.)

(Note 3)
Nominees of the Best New Performer award must have never participated in any film with a leading or supporting role credit before the award’s year of nomination, but film(s) lead to his/her eligibility can be more than one during the same awards year. Nominees of the Best New Performer also be eligible for nomination either for the “Best Actor/ Actress” or “Best Supporting Actor/Actress” by the same film(s). If any disputes arise, the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association reserves the right for final decision.

(Note 4)
Nominated pieces for the “Best Original Film Score” must be the original creation particularly for and first used in the film. Nominees will be required to provide music cue sheet or notification of works form issued by the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong for originality verification. Any nominee fail to provide such documents, Hong Kong Film Awards Association reserves the right to withdraw his/her eligibility.

(Note 5)
Nominated songs for the “Best Original Film Song” must be the original creation (including melody, lyrics) particularly for and first used in the film. Nominees will be required to provide music cue sheet or notification of works form issued by the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong for originality verification. Any nominee fail to provide such documents, Hong Kong Film Awards Association reserves the right to withdraw his/her eligibility.

(Note 6)
“Best Sound Design” is defined as an overall judgment of every audible procedure of the particular film, including dubbing / sync-sound recording, sound effects, music scoring, optical process and final mixing. Eligibility for this award shall be limited to the sound designer(s) directly involved and primarily responsible for the film’s sound design. The name(s) of the sound designer(s), maximum 4 in total, shall be provided by the film company(s), producer(s) or director(s) according to individual contributions.

(Note 7)
“Best Visual Effects” is determined by the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production including computer special effects operated in production stage and scene shooting (i) explosions (ii) miniatures and mechanical special effects. Primary individuals who directly involved with, principally responsible for, and have a major contribution to the visual effects are eligible for the nomination of the “Best Visual Effects” award. The name(s) of the primary individuals shall be provided by film company(s), producer(s) or director(s) and not to exceed 4 in number.

(Note 8)
In a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 x 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to SMPTE 428-1-2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000), and image and sound file formats suitable for exhibition in commercial Digital Cinema sites.

*Hong Kong Film Awards Association reserves the right to disqualify the nominee(s) if the film companies or film distributors fail to provide DVD or digital files of the nominated movie(s) for voters screening.

*Hong Kong Film Awards Association has the right to revise the Rules of Election and Eligibility. Any update shall be announced in the official website of HKFAA. 

*If any dispute or special cases arise throughout the election, the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association shall take into consideration the circumstances and reserves the right for final decision.

*Hong Kong Film Awards Association has the right to revise the Rules of Election and Eligibility. Any update shall be announced in the official website of HKFAA.

* The English translated version is intended for reference only. If there is any discrepancy between the Chinese and English versions, the Chinese version shall govern.