The martial arts epic The Grandmaster swept the recent Asian Film Awards. The flick based on the life of Ip Man took home seven wins, noted Variety. Three of the coveted awards director Wong Kar-wai’s film won include best director, best actress (Ziyi Zhang), and best picture.
The film also won awards for cinematography and music composition. The French Director of Photography for The Grandmaster, Philippe Le Sourd was handed cinematography award. The music award went to French-Japanese composers Nathaniel Mechaly and Umebayashi Shigeru.
The Asian Film Awards are gaining traction, as they have now entered their eighth year. The ceremony took place at the House of Dancing Water in Macau’s City of Dreams, instead of the previous destination of the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong. Among the most prestigious presenters at this Thursday’s award ceremony include Carina Lau, Donnie Yen (who’s set to star in another Ip-Man-based film), and Johnnie To.
The final two awards that went to The Grandmaster were for best costume and production design. William Chang Suk Ping won both for best costume – with Alfred Yau – and best production design.
The Indian film, The Lunchbox (2013) was the only other film besides The Grandmaster to win multiple prizes. It won for best actor (Irfan Khan) and best screenplay (Ritesh Batra).
The Grandmaster was released in the U.S. August 30, 2013 and has recently received a remarkably high amount of accolade at the Asian Film Awards. The trailer (below) showcases the epic imagery and music revealed through this true martial arts story, inspired by kung fu master Ip Man.