Wong Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster nominated for Oscar
September 23, 2013, 4:00 pm

“It’s our honour to have it selected to represent Hong Kong in the Oscars,” said the spokesperson of the producer [Getty Images]

The movie will compete for the official nomination of various awards at the 86th Oscars, including Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.

Wong sits at number three on the British Film Institute’s list of top ten directors of modern times.

Crucindo Hung Cho-sing, Chairman of the Federation of Motion Film Producers of Hong Kong, said the The Grandmaster was the final choice of the selection committee.

“It’s our honour to have it selected to represent Hong Kong in the Oscars,” said the spokesperson of the producer, “We are thankful to the recognition by the selection committee in Hong Kong, and we do hope The Grandmaster can shine in the top notch international venue.”

The film stars Zhang Ziyi (of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha) and Tony Leung.

The action film from director Wong Kar-wai follows the inspiring story of how noted Chinese kung fu master Ip Man settled disputes in martial arts circles and created his own kung fu school.

The film opened to rave international reviews with the Wall Street Journal saying “Wong Kar-wai scores with The Grandmaster”, Variety said the film “exceeds expectations”, and the Guardian said, it is “something pretty special”.

Wong spent about 10 years shooting the film, making it the most time-consuming production in Chinese film history.

The director is an international film festival favourite and has won several international awards including best director at Cannes, a first for an Asia film director.

Wong, 54, is best known for his films Chungking Express (1994) and In the Mood for Love (2000).

Source: Agencies