'Bodyguards and Assassins' sweeps Hong Kong film awards

"Bodyguards and Assassins" scooped seven gongs, including best film, best director, best supporting actor, best cinematography, and best action choreography. "Lots of films have been made about Chinese revolutions, but in this film we wanted to touch the audience's heart by zeroing in on the relationships between the revolutionaries," director Teddy Chen told reporters after grabbing the award.

Singer-cum-actor Nicholas Tse, who starred as a rickshaw puller and one of Sun's "bodyguards" during his visit to Hong Kong to discuss plans with his fellow revolutionaries to overthrow the Qing Dynasty in the 1900s, was crowned best supporting actor. "Echoes of the Rainbow", a low-budget drama on Hong Kong in the 1960s, emerged as the second biggest winner at the annual awards, after receiving the Crystal Bear prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The film snatched four awards, including best screen play and best actor. Director Alex Law said he was grateful for the many unexpected surprises the film had brought him. "My starting point was to make a film to remember my elder brother," he said.

"Never would I imagine that it could be such a box-office success. It even helped protect a street from demolition," he said. Law was referring to the Hong Kong government's decision to halt a plan to bulldoze the historic Wing Lee Street -- where his film was set -- following the publicity generated by the Berlin award.