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THE 42nd HONG KONG FILM AWARDS - RULES AND REGULATIONS


(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

2023 Hong Kong Films
Any Hong Kong film (see Note 2) will be automatically considered as participating in ‘The 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards’ when its first-time release is held in Hong Kong theatrically during the period 1 January to 31 December 2023 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:
1) All candidates and participating production companies for any awards categories must be credited in the opening or closing credit of the film, based on the version released in Hong Kong.
2) “Consultant”: Individuals in this role are not eligible to be nominated for any awards.
3) “Chief Director”: If the film has both a Chief Director and Director positions, Chief Director will be considered as Co-Director.


(II)VOTING PROCEDURES

First Round Voting : Nomination
  1. To vote by (a) registered Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) Voters and (b) First Round Professional Jury. 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 Voting (final assessment).

  2. HKFA Voter: Any individual who meets the HKFA voter registration qualifications and whose application has been confirmed and accepted by the Hong Kong Film Awards Association (HKFAA). and have successfully registered with the Hong Kong Film Awards Association.

  3. The First Round Professional Jury (total 120 individuals) consist of professionals from the film industry and media, who are recommended and invited by the Voting Affairs Committee of HKFAA.

  4. In general, the top five candidates with the highest scores will be the respective nominees for each award. When there are two candidates with the same score and they both rank fifth in the same award category, the number of nominations for that award will increase to six. When there are more than two candidates with the same score and they both rank fifth, the number of nominations for that award will be reduced to four.

  5. Any ineligible candidate is found in the list of nominations, their nomination will be revoked, and the vacancy will be filled by the next candidate with the highest score.

  6. The members of the Professional Jury are entitled to vote once in each round of voting. During the first round, the First Round Professional Jury is exclusively permitted to vote in their capacity as juror and not as registered HKFA Voters. They are prohibited from serving as Second Round Professional Jury members. However, if applicable, they may exercise their voting rights as Member Associations of HKFAA during the Second Round Voting.



THE 42nd HONG KONG FILM AWARDS VOTING PORTIONS AND SCORE PERCENTAGE
First Round Voting : For Nomination (100%)
Awards \Voting portions  All HKFA Voters Professional Jury
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 and film culture and education professionals) one (1) vote per person.


Second Round Voting : Final Assessment
  1. The Second Round Voting involves voting by five groups (a) the Second Round Professional Jury (total 75 individuals) and members of (b) the Member Associations of HKFAAs, (c) Hong Kong Film Assistant Directors’ Association (HKFADA), (d) Hong Kong Visual Effect Association (HKVFX), (e) Hong Kong Association for Pictures and Sound Production (HKAPSP).

  2. The Second Round Professional Jury consist of 70 professionals from the Hong Kong film industry and media, as well as 5 professionals from outside the Hong Kong. The Jury are invited by the Voting Affairs Committee of HKFAA. While these Jury are eligible to vote as HKFA voter in the First Round Voting, they cannot vote as member associations of HKFAA in the Second Round. Their votes contribute 55% to the total score in the second round.

  3. Members of the Member Associations of HKFAA, HKFADA, HKVFX, and HKAPSP are eligible to vote for their respective award categories (accounting for 25% of the total score) as well as other award categories (accounting for 20% of the total score) in the second round. All members can vote in multiple membership roles but will only cast one vote per award category. For further details, please refer to the attached table below:

    4. THE 42nd HONG KONG FILM AWARDS VOTING PORTIONS AND SCORE PERCENTAGE
    Second Round Voting : Final Assessment
    Awards \ Voting Portions Members of ^HKFAA Member Associations & *3 other film associations Members of remaining Executive Committees of HKFAA Professional Jury
    (75 persons)    		Total Percentage
    Best Director
    Best New Director
    Best Visual Effects      		Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild 25% 20% 55% 100%
    Best Screenplay Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild
    Best Actor, Actress
    Best Supporting Actor, Actress
    Best New Performer    		 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 Visual Effects
    Best Sound Design     		Association of Motion Pictures Post Production Professionals (H.K.)
    Best Visual Effects Hong Kong Visual Effect Association
    Best Visual Effects Best Sound Design Hong Kong Association for Pictures and Sound Production
    Best Film
    Best Asian Chinese Language Film     		Members of ^HKFAA Members Associations and
    *3 other film associations each can cast one vote. 45%     		55% 100%
    ^14 HKFAA Member Associations： 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.
    *3 Film Association: Hong Kong Film Assistant Directors’ Association, Hong Kong Visual Effect Association, and Hong Kong Association for Pictures and Sound Production


  4. If any of the Second Round Professional Jury who is the Producer (Co-Producer, Executive Producer) or individual, involves in the production or distribution of the nominated “Best Film” and “Best Asian Chinese Language Film”, HKFAA will invite other film professional to replace the juror.

  5. In the event of a tie score between two nominees, both will be awarded. However, if more than two nominees have equal scores, the nominee with the highest score from the votes of the Second Round Professional Jury will be the winner.


(III) ELIGIBILITY OF BEST ASIAN CHINESE LANGUAGE FILM

Any Chinese film from the Asian region (excluding Hong Kong films) will be automatically considered for competing the "Best Asian Chinese Language Film" award at the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards. This consideration applies when the film has its first theatrical release in Hong Kong between January 1 and December 31, 2023. The film must have at least 5 screenings in conventional film screening theaters (as defined in Note 1), with a seating capacity of 50 or more, over a period of 7 consecutive days with paid admission, a duration of 60 minutes or more, and be presented in either 35mm film or Digital Cinema format (as defined in Note 8).

Definition of ASIAN CHINESE LANGUAGE FILM

Language and region of eligible films MUST meet the following criteria :
  1. At least 50% or more of the language are in Chinese, including both official and vernacular languages spoken in Chinese-speaking regions worldwide (excluding dubbing). For films without dialogue, this criterion will be determined by subtitles and dialogue in the original film. In the case of animated films, the language of the original dubbing will be considered.

  2. At least one of the producing film companies is legally registered in the Asian Region, or one of its distribution companies is legally registered in Hong Kong. The name(s) of the company(ies) must be shown as one of the presenter(s) or distributor(s) in the front or end credits. "Asian Region" refers to the official countries/areas list assigned by the United Nations (please refer to https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49)
Voting Procedures

First Round Voting:

There are two voting groups: (a) registered HKFA Voters and (b) First Round Professional Jury. Each voter can vote for one film. The result from each group will contribute 50% to the total score of the first round. The top 5 highest-scoring films will proceed to Second Round Voting. In general, the top five films with the highest scores will be the respective nominees for the award. When there are two films with the same score and they both rank the fifth position, the number of nominations for the award will increase to six. When there are more than two films with the same score and they both rank the fifth position, the number of nominations will be reduced to four.

Second Round Voting:

There are five voting groups: (a) the Second Round Professional Jury, (b) Members of the HKFAA Member Associations, (c) Hong Kong Film Assistant Director's Association, (d) Hong Kong Visual Effect Association, and (e) Hong Kong Association for Pictures and Sound Production. Each member can cast only one vote. The result from the Second Round Professional Jury will contribute 55% to the total score of the second round, while the results from the other members will contribute 45%. In the event of a tie between two nominees, the nominee with the highest score from the votes of the Second Round Professional Jury will be declared the winner of the award.


(IV) BEST NEW DIRECTOR

Eligibility

1.Candidates of the Best New Director category must be Hong Kong residents and holders of Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards, with no age limit.
2.Candidates must be the only director of the film.
3.The film must have its first theatrical release in Hong Kong between January 1, 2023 and December 31 2023, and meet the following requirements :
(a) It must be screened in Hong Kong with paid admission.
(b) It must have had at least 5 screenings in the conventional film screening theatres (see Note 2) with a capacity of 50 seats or more and in consecutive 7 days.
(c) he duration of the film must be 60 minutes or longer.
(d) It must have been released in either 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.

Voting Procedures

First Round Voting
  • The First Round Voting is conducted through voting by members of the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild and HKFA voters who are registered as film critics and professionals in film culture and academia. Each person has one vote.

  • A maximum of three nominees for this award category. However, there are exceptions: a) If there is a tie between two nominees for the third position, the number of nominations will be increased to four. b) If there are more than two nominees with equal scores in the third position, the number of nominations for that award will be reduced to two.

  • If there are more than 12 candidates eligible for nomination, the number of nominations will be increased from 3 to 5. In case of a tie between two nominations in the fifth slot, the number of nominations will be increased to six. If there are more than two nominations with equal scores in the fifth position, the number of nominations for that award will be reduced to four.
Second Round Voting
  • The Second Round Voting is conducted by three groups as follows: (a) The Second Round Professional Jury (accounting 55% of the total score); (b) Members of the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild, (accounting 25% of the total score); (c) Other Members of the HKFAA Member Associations, as well as members of HKFADA, HKVFX, and HKAPSP (accounting 20% of the total score). In the event of a tie between two nominees, the nominee with the highest score from the votes of the Second Round Professional Jury will be awarded the prize.



(V) VOTING DEADLINE

Votes received after the specified deadline are deemed invalid.

First Round Voting (Nomination Voting)* – 23 January 2024

Second Round Voting (Final Assessment)* – 28 March 2024
(Votes can be submitted in person, by post, email or WhatsApp.)


* Hong Kong Film Awards Association reserve the right to change the Voting Deadline.


Notes:

(Note 1)
A film MUST be released in recognized conventional film screening theatres by HKFAA, which include:
(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, such as Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and Hong Kong Film Archive.
(III) Premises regularly showing commercial films with “Cinema License” granted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and invited by the HKFAA.

(Note 2)
A film will be considered a “Hong Kong Film” if it meets at least two of the following criteria:
(I) The film director(s) must be a Hong Kong resident and hold a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card.
(II) At least one of the production companies must be legally registered in HKSAR.
(III) At least SIX main individuals who are of the principal creative position directly involved with and responsible for the achievements from their respective working positions must be Hong Kong residents and hold Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards. Only one Hong Kong resident will be counted for each working position. The working positions are counted based on the following 15 awards: 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 multiple Hong Kong residents participate in the creation of an “Original Film Song”, such as composer, lyricist and singer, only one person will be counted.)

(Note 3)
Eligibility of Best New Performer will be determined upon the submission being the candidate’s first leading or supporting role in the Hong Kong Film(s) during the current year of nomination. Best New Performer candidates can also compete for Best Actor/Actress or Best Supporting Actor/Actress with the same film(s). In case of any disputes, the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association reserves the right to make the final decision.

(Note 4)
Candidates eligible for “Best Original Film Score” must be the principal composer certified by the producing companies, and responsible for the production of the score. The eligible work must be created specifically for and used in the nominated film. Candidates shall be required to provide a music cue sheet or a notification of works form issued by the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH) for recognition of originality. Failure to provide such documents may result in the withdrawal of eligibility by the Hong Kong Film Awards Association.

(Note 5)
Candidates eligible for the “Best Original Film Song” must be the original creation (including melody, lyrics and performance) specifically made for and first used in the film and certified by the production companies. Candidates shall be required to provide a music cue sheet or a notification of works form issued by the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH) for recognition of originality. Failure to provide such documents may result in the withdrawal of eligibility by the Hong Kong Film Awards Association.

(Note 6)
“Best Sound Design” refers to the overall judgment of every audible element in the film, including dubbing/sync-sound recording, sound effects, music scoring, optical processes, and final mixing. Eligibility for this award is limited to the individuals, main sound designer(s) directly involved and principally responsible for and have the major contribution to the film's sound design. The production company(s), producer(s), or director(s) should provide the name(s) of the sound designer(s), up to a maximum of four.

(Note 7)
“Best Visual Effects” is determined by the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production, including computer special effects used in the production stage and scene shooting (such as explosions, miniatures and mechanical special effects). Eligibility for this award is limited to the individuals, who is directly involved and principally responsible for and have the major contribution to the film's visual effects. The production company(s), producer(s), or director(s) should provide the name(s) of the primary individuals up to a maximum of four.

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

Attention:

  1. Hong Kong Film Awards Association reserves the right to disqualify a nominated film if its production company/distributor fail to provide DVD or digital files of the nominated film during the two rounds voting.

  2. In the case of any disputes during the voting process, the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association reserves the right to the final decision.

  3. Hong Kong Film Awards Association reserve the right to revise the Rules and Regulations. Any update will be announced on the official website of HKFAA.

  4. In the event of any discrepancies between the Chinese and English versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.
  5. Certificate of Nomination and Award Trophy:

    (a)All nominees will receive ONE Certificate of Nomination;
    (b)Award for individuals : ONE trophy will be given to the winner of each awards category. For multiple winners in one category, a maximum of TWO trophies will be awarded.
    (c)Award for Best Film and Best Asian Chinese Language Film:
    -i. Best Film: ONE Trophy will be given to the production company and the producer, a maximum of TWO trophies will be given
    -ii. Best Asian Chinese Language Film: ONE Trophy will be given to the production company.