The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) has reportedly removed four films from the contenders list for this year’s ceremony and scrapped the Best Asian Chinese-language Film category, prompting fresh concerns about possible government censorship.
According to local media reports, three Hong Kong productions—Finch & Midland directed by Timothy Yeung, Vital Signs directed by Vincci Cheuk, and Valley Of The Shadow Of Death, co-directed by Sen Lam and Antonio Tam—have disappeared from the eligibility list issued by HKFA last week. Also removed is Mother Bhumi, directed by Chong Keat Aun.
All four titles had met the awards’ eligibility requirements, which include Hong Kong participation in production or investment and a minimum of five theatrical screenings in Hong Kong before 31 December. In addition, local press has reported that the Best Asian Chinese-language Film category has been eliminated altogether. The category was intended to honour Chinese-language films produced outside Hong Kong and has been won by Taiwanese titles in recent years, including The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon in 2024 and Old Fox in 2025.
The reported changes were not discussed in internal HKFA meetings, raising questions about external influence. Local media has speculated that pressure may have come from the Hong Kong government, which is a major financial supporter of the awards. Attention has focused on the political backgrounds of some of the talent involved in the dropped films.
Actor Anthony Wong, who has publicly supported the Occupy Central movement and anti-extradition bill protests, appears in both Valley Of The Shadow Of Death and Finch & Midland. Vital Signs stars Neo Yau, who was previously associated with a political satire group critical of the government.
Mother Bhumi features mainland Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who was effectively blacklisted in China in 2018 following a tax evasion scandal and has since focused largely on international projects. Fan and Wong had reportedly been considered front-runners for Best Actress and Best Actor nominations respectively at this year’s awards.
Deadline has contacted HKFA for comment but has not received a response. Established in 1982, the Hong Kong Film Awards is the city’s most prestigious film honours event and is typically held in April, although the date for this year’s ceremony has yet to be announced. Nominees and winners are selected through voting by film professionals, critics and academics, alongside a professional jury, with nomination voting usually taking place in January.
Finch & Midland, released in Hong Kong last week, follows four middle-aged Hong Kong immigrants struggling to make ends meet in 1990s Canada. Vital Signs, which also stars Louis Koo and Angela Yuen, is a comedy drama centred on a group of paramedics and received funding from the Hong Kong Film Development Council.
Valley Of The Shadow Of Death tells the story of a pastor whose church shelters a man implicated in his daughter’s death. Produced by the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, the film screened at last year’s New York Asian Film Festival. Mother Bhumi, which focuses on a single mother in Malaysia resisting land seizures, earned eight nominations at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards and won three prizes, including Best Actress for Fan Bingbing.
The reported removals have added to growing unease within Hong Kong’s film community about creative freedom and the increasing influence of political considerations on the city’s cultural institutions.
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