MALAYSIAN talent stood proud, with WarnerMedia bagging four wins at the 2020 Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA).
Yeo Yann Yann swept the Best Actress award for her moving role as a mother to a teenage son with autism in a HBO Asia Original series 'Invisible Stories', while the HBO Asia Original movie 'The Garden Of Evening Mists' by Astro Shaw and HBO Asia claimed the Best Feature Film award at the Grand Awards announced on December 3.
Meanwhile, HBO’s sibling channel brand Cartoon Network picked up another win for its original animated series 'Lamput', animated by local studio Inspidea. For the third time in a row, the series about a lovable orange escapee from a science laboratory came out on top in the Best Children’s Programme category.
Other notable wins include Takumi Saitoh for Best Director award, for his episode in the HBO Asia Original anthology series 'Food Lore at the Gala Awards Final' which took place on December 4.
Stream or download these award-winning titles on HBO Go.
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Yeo Yann Yann
Invisible Stories shines light into dark corners and tells untold stories from the heartlands in a fictional neighbourhood housing estate in multi-cultural Singapore. Filmed entirely on location in Singapore, Lian (played by Malaysian Yeo Yann Yann) is the story of a burnt out and financially-drained single mother struggling to cope with her 19-year-old son with autism, who displays aggressive behaviours during meltdowns following the sudden death of his grandmother, who was his main caregiver.
Best Feature Film – 'The Garden Of Evening Mists'
The film tells the story of Teoh Yun Ling (played by Sinje Lee) who, embittered from atrocities of World War II in Malaya, seeks solace in the rolling hills of Cameron Highlands. There, she discovers Yugiri, the only Japanese garden in Malaya and its mysterious owner Nakamura Aritomo (played by Hiroshi Abe). He reluctantly accepts her as an apprentice. As Yugiri reveals secrets of its own, Yun Ling and Aritomo embark on a forbidden love affair.
Best Children’s Programme – 'Lamput'
Winner of this award for the third consecutive year is the loveable, Emmy-nominated cartoon Lamput. Made in India and animated in Malaysian studio Inspidea, this well-loved series with global appeal courtesy of Cartoon Network, keeps gaining plaudits for its hilarious non-dialogue chase antics starring an ever-morphing orange blob.
Best Director (Fiction) – Takumi Saitoh (Food Lore: Life In A Box)
Food Lore explores human conditions with narratives inspired by Asian cuisines. In the episode 'Food Lore: Life In A Box' directed by Takumi Saitoh, the lonely paths of an uninspired picture book author, a recent widower and his teenage daughter, and an elderly retired wrestler intersect during a quiet train ride away from busy Tokyo. The episode was set and filmed in Japan.
Other notable WarnerMedia entries in the AAAs included Miller Khan who claimed the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Goddess award for Malaysia’s The Bridge, which aired on HBO Go and HBO, and Pretty Little Liars, a Warner Bros format in Indonesia, which got the nod for “Best Adaptation of an Existing Format”. – The Vibes, December 9, 2020
