Zhang Ziyi accepts Best Actress Award at the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards.Photo: CFP

The 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) announced its final results at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Sunday night, much to the anticipation of critics and media outlets.

Wong Kar-wai's The Grandmaster, which led the awards with 14 nominations, turned out to be the biggest winner, taking in 12 heavyweight awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Art Direction and Best Screenplay to name a few.

With these wins, The Grandmaster has set a record for the most amount of awards won by a film in HKFA history.

Starring Hong Kong actor Tony Leung and Beijing-born actress Zhang Ziyi, The Grandmaster tells the story of legendary martial arts master Ip Man, the teacher of Bruce Lee, between the 1930s and 1950s in China.

"It's no surprise, given its global influence, fine production and high box-office overseas," noted Beijing-based movie critic Wang Siwei.

The kung fu epic has proved its popularity since the end of last year, collecting awards at several major film festivals like the Golden Horse Awards and the Asian Pacific Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design at the 86th Academy Awards. 

Wong won Best Director for The Grandmaster, once more proving his directorial talent. With a trembling voice, he thanked the entire crew of The Grandmaster, his family and his teacher while accepting the award.

Zhang, who plays the character Gong Er in The Grandmaster, grabbed Best Actress for her performance in the movie. This is the second time that Zhang has won the award, the first time being 2005 when she won for 2046.

The Best Actor Award went to Hong Kong actor Nick Cheung for his role in Hong Kong action drama Unbeatable, directed by Dante Lam. The film tells an inspiring story in which Cheung plays a former Hong Kong boxing champion and an ex-convict. He flees to Macao to avoid rising debt but his later experiences rekindles a desire to head back into the ring at the age of 48.

The Best New Director Award went to Adam Wong, the director of The Way We Dance, a film about a girl passionate about dance who pursues her dream in spite of difficulties. Babyjohn Choi also won Best New Performer for his role in the film, which also won Best Original Film Song.

"Wong shows great passion in the film," commented film critic Li Zhong.

 "It's a classic Hong Kong film that represents the local characteristics of boys and girls."

Kara Wai, a veteran Hong Kong actress, took in Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Rigor Mortis, a horror movie seen by many as paying respect to the unique style of traditional Hong Kong films.

While some insiders and media see this year's competing films as a sign that Hong Kong's film industry will return to its roots, Li is not quite as optimistic.

"The market will continue to drive the industry to tune itself to the Chinese mainland," Li told the Global Times during a telephone interview.

Major winners of the 33rd HKFA

Best Film 

The Grandmaster

Best Director 

Wong Kar-wai (The Grandmaster)

Best Screenplay 

Zou Jingzhi, Xu Haofeng, Wong Kar-wai (The Grandmaster)

Best Actor 

Nick Cheung (Unbeatable)

Best Actress 

Zhang Ziyi (The Grandmaster)

Best Supporting Actor 

Zhang Jin (The Grandmaster)

Best Supporting Actress 

Kara Wai  (Rigor Mortis)

Best Visual Effects 

Enoch Chan (Rigor Mortis)