(China Daily) Hong Kong's veteran actor Sean Lau Ching-wan won the Best Actor award for the family drama film Papa at the Asian Film Awards on Sunday night.

Marking its 18th edition, this year's awards showcased 30 exceptional films from 25 countries or regions, competing for 16 awards. The nominated works were diverse in genre and the competition was intense.

The Best Actress award was bestowed upon Shahana Goswami for the crime drama story Santosh. Meanwhile, the film's director Sandhya Suri won the Best New Director award. 

Drama film All We Imagine as Light, with six nominations, was named the Best Film. The Best Director award went to Daihachi Yoshida from Japan for his drama film Teki Cometh. 

Nominated for nine awards, Hong Kong's martial arts action film Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In earned two honors including Best Editing and Best Production Design. The movie centered around the infamous Kowloon Walled City, evoking a wave of nostalgia with exhibitions across the city featuring a series of replicas of the movie set.

The Best Supporting Actor and Actress were presented to the mystery thriller Stranger Eyes' Lee Kang-sheng and the drama film Yen and Ai-Lee's Yang Kuei-mei, respectively. 

Political drama film The Seed of the Sacred Fig earned the the Best Screenplay award. Japanese actor Kurihara Hayato took home the Best Newcomer honor for his lead role in Japanese-American drama film Happyend. 

In this photo released by the Asian Film Awards on its official Facebook page, Shahana Goswami  from India poses with her Best Actress trophy during the 18th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on March 16, 2025. 

In this photo released by the Asian Film Awards on its official Facebook page, Daihachi Yoshida from Japan poses with his Best Director trophy during the 18th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on March 16, 2025. 

In this photo released by the Asian Film Awards on its official Facebook page, Hong Kong composer Chu Wan-pin poses with his Best Original Music award during the 18th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on March 16, 2025. 

In this photo released by the Asian Film Awards on its official Facebook page, Chinese mainland actress Tang Wei poses with her Excellence in Asian Cinema Award during the 18th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on March 16, 2025. 

In this photo released by the Asian Film Awards on its official Facebook page, South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun poses with his Excellence in Asian Cinema Award during the 18th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on March 16, 2025. 

In this photo released by the Asian Film Awards on its official Facebook page, Japanese actor Koji Yakusho poses with his Lifetime Achievement Award trophy during the 18th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on March 16, 2025.