Japanese actor Koji Yakusho, pinarangalan sa 13th Asian Film Awards

Ni Florenda Corpuz

Ginawaran si Japanese actor Koji Yakusho ng Best Actor award para sa pelikulang “The Blood of Wolves” at Yakusho ang Excellence in Asian Cinema Award sa katatapos lamang na 13th Asian Film Awards. (Kuha mula sa Asian Film Awards Academy)

Kinilala ang husay ng Japanese leading international actor na si Koji Yakusho sa nakaraang 13th Asian Film Awards (AFA) na ginanap sa TVB City sa Hong Kong.

Pinarangalan bilang Best Actor si Yakusho para sa pelikulang “The Blood of Wolves” kung saan siya gumanap bilang pulis na nagsisimula nang maging katulad ng mga kriminal na sinisikap niyang arestuhin.

“I really hadn’t thought about winning this award. AFA is giving me this award to make me think how lucky I am, and I feel like I have used up all the luck in my life to win this award. It is very scary and alarming. Talking about the production crew of ‘The Blood of Wolves,’ I think they will also feel very surprised, but they will feel happy for me. I’m very lucky and happy to win this award. 

“This award will arouse more interest in ‘The Blood of Wolves.’ I think more people will go to see it. I will be happy if there are expanded audiences for our film. Thank you,” aniya sa kanyang talumpati nang kanyang tanggapin ang parangal.

Bukod sa Best Actor award ay ginawad din kay Yakusho ang Excellence in Asian Cinema Award.

“This is a great honor. I am actually not comfortable with this kind of gorgeous venue. I’d rather disappear into the crowd. But I told myself to accept this since I’m an old guy now. Maybe I have this backwards, but I’m going to work hard to be the level of actor who deserves this award. I sincerely thank the Asian Film Awards for giving me this motivation,” pagbabahagi ng 63-taong-gulang na aktor.

Ilan sa mga pelikulang kanyang pinagbidahan ay ang “The Eel” na nag-uwi ng 1997 Palme d’Or sa Cannes. Napabilang din siya sa mga Hollywood movies tulad ng “Babel” at “Memoirs of a Geisha.”

Samantala, inuwi rin ng mga Japanese films at talents ang mga parangal para sa Best Film (“Shoplifters”), Best Editing (Shinya Tsukamoto para sa pelikulang “Killing”) at Best Original Music (Haruomi Hosono para sa “Shoplifters”). 

Nagsilbi naman bilang celebrity juror ang Academy Award at Tony Award nominee na si Ken Watanabe.

Ang AFA Academy o AFAA ay binubuo ng Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), Hong Kong International Film Festival at Busan International Film Festival na layong itaguyod ang Asian cinema at ang mga talento nito.