Asian Film Award for Best Director

Asian Film Award for Best Director
The 2025 recipient: Daihachi Yoshida
Awarded for	Excellence in Directing in Asian Cinema
Presented by	Asian Film Awards Academy
First award	2007
Most recent winner	Daihachi Yoshida Teki Cometh (2025)
Website	afa-academy.com

The Asian Film Award for Best Director is presented annually by the Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA), a non-profit organization founded by Busan International Film Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival with the shared goal of celebrating excellence in Asian cinema.

History

It was first presented in 2007 during the first edition of the awards. Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke was the first recipient of the award for his work in the drama Still Life . The most recent winner is Japanese director Daihachi Yoshida for the film Teki Cometh.

Japanese film director Hirokazu Kore-eda and South Korean director Lee Chang-dong both hold the record of most wins in the category with three; Kore-eda for Still Walking (2009), Broker (2023) and Monster (2024); Lee for Secret Sunshine (2008), Poetry (2011) and Burning (2019). They are also the only directors with multiple wins in the category. Hirokazu Koreeda is also the director with the most nominations for the award with six.

Winners and nominees

Jia Zhangke, the inaugural winner of the award

Three-time winner Lee Chang-dong

Three-time winner Hirokazu Kore-eda

2012 winner Asghar Farhadi

2013 winner Takeshi Kitano

2014 winner Wong Kar-wai

2015 winner Ann Hui

2016 winner Hou Hsiao-hsien

2021 winner Zhang Yimou

2020 winner Wang Xiaoshuai

2000s

Year	Recipient(s)	English title	Original title	Ref.
2007	Jia Zhangke	Still Life	三峡好人	[1] [2]
	Hong Sang-soo	Woman on the Beach	해변의 여인
	Jafar Panahi	Offside	آفساید
	Johnnie To	Exiled	放逐
	Tsai Ming-liang	I Don't Want to Sleep Alone	黑眼圈
	Apichatpong Weerasethakul	Syndromes and a Century	อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล
2008	Lee Chang-dong	Secret Sunshine	밀양	[3] [4]
	Peter Chan	The Warlords	投名状
	Jiang Wen	The Sun Also Rises	太阳照常升起
	Ang Lee	Lust, Caution	投名状
	Masayuki Suo	I Just Didn't Do It	それでもボクはやってない
	Zhang Lu	Desert Dream	경계
2009	Hirokazu Kore-eda	Still Walking	歩いても 歩いても	[5] [6]
	Feng Xiaogang	If You Are the One	非诚勿扰
	Kim Jee-woon	The Good, the Bad, the Weird	좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈
	Brillante Mendoza	Service	Serbis
	Hayao Miyazaki	Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea	崖の上のポニョ
	John Woo	Red Cliff	赤壁

2010s

Year	Recipient(s)	English title	Original title	Ref.
2010	Lu Chuan	City of Life and Death	南京! 南京!	[7] [8]
	Bong Joon-ho	Mother	마더
	Asghar Farhadi	About Elly	درباره الی, Darbareye Elly
	Brillante Mendoza	Grandmother	Lola
	Sion Sono	Love Exposure	愛のむきだし
	Yonfan	Prince of Tears	淚王子
2011	Lee Chang-dong	Poetry	시	[9] [10]
	Feng Xiaogang	Aftershock	唐山大地震
	Jiang Wen	Let the Bullets Fly	让子弹飞
	Takashi Miike	13 Assassins	十三人の刺客
	Na Hong-jin	The Yellow Sea	황해
	Tetsuya Nakashima	Confessions	告白
2012	Asghar Farhadi	A Separation	جدایی نادر از سیمین, Jodái-e Náder az Simin	[11] [12]
	Teddy Soeriaatmadja	Lovely Man
	Sion Sono	Guilty of Romance	恋の罪
	Tsui Hark	Flying Swords of Dragon Gate	龍門飛甲
	Wei Te-sheng	Seediq Bale	賽德克·巴萊
	Zhang Yimou	The Flowers of War	金陵十三钗
2013	Takeshi Kitano	Outrage Beyond	アウトレイジ ビヨンド	[13]
	Anurag Kashyap	Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 & 2
	Abbas Kiarostami	Like Someone in Love	ライク・サムワン・イン・ラブ
	Kim Ki-duk	Pietà	피에타
	Lou Ye	Mystery	浮城谜事
2014	Wong Kar-wai	The Grandmaster	一代宗師	[14]
	Bong Joon-ho	Snowpiercer	설국열차
	Anthony Chen	Ilo Ilo	爸妈不在家
	Hirokazu Kore-eda	Like Father, Like Son	そして父になる, Soshite Chichi ni Naru
	Tsai Ming-liang	Stray Dogs	Jiao You
2015	Ann Hui	The Golden Era	黃金時代	[15]
	Vishal Bhardwaj	Haider
	Lav Diaz	From What Is Before	Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon
	Hong Sang-soo	Hill of Freedom	자유의 언덕
	Lou Ye	Blind Massage	推拿
	Shinya Tsukamoto	Fires on the Plain	Nobi
2016	Hou Hsiao-hsien	The Assassin	刺客聶隱娘	[16] [17]
	Guan Hu	Mr. Six	老炮兒
	Jia Zhangke	Mountains May Depart	山河故人
	Hirokazu Kore-eda	Our Little Sister	海街diary
	Ryoo Seung-wan	Veteran	베테랑
2017	Na Hong-jin	The Wailing	곡성	[18] [19]
	Lav Diaz	The Woman Who Left	Ang Babaeng Humayo
	Feng Xiaogang	I Am Not Madame Bovary	我不是潘金莲
	Kōji Fukada	Harmonium	淵に立つ
	Derek Tsang	Soul Mate	七月與安生
2018	Yuya Ishii	The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue	映画 夜空はいつでも最高密度の青色だ	[20] [21]
	Sylvia Chang	Love Education	相愛相親
	Chen Kaige	Legend of the Demon Cat	妖猫传
	Feng Xiaogang	Youth	芳华
	Hong Sang-soo	The Day After	그 후
	Ann Hui	Our Time Will Come	明月幾時有
2019	Lee Chang-dong	Burning	버닝	[22] [23]
	Pema Tseden	Jinpa	撞死了一只羊
	Rajkumar Hirani	Sanju
	Hirokazu Kore-eda	Shoplifters	万引き家族
	Fruit Chan	Three Husbands	三夫

2020s

Year	Recipient(s)	English title	Original title	Ref.
2020	Wang Xiaoshuai	So Long, My Son	地久天长	[24] [25]
	Pema Tseden	Balloon	དབུགས་ལྒང་། (Tibetan); 气球 (Simplified Chinese)
	Tsai Ming-liang	Days	日子
	Bong Joon-ho	Parasite	기생충
	Chung Mong-hong	A Sun	陽光普照
	Nobuhiro Suwa	Voices in the Wind	風の電話
2021	Zhang Yimou	One Second	一秒钟	[26] [27]
	Adhilkan Yerzhanov	Yellow Cat
	Kiyoshi Kurosawa	Wife of a Spy	スパイの妻
	Ryusuke Hamaguchi	Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy	偶然と想像
	Lee Joon-ik	The Book of Fish	자산어보
2023	Hirokazu Kore-eda	Broker	브로커	[28] [29]
	Park Chan-wook	Decision to Leave	헤어질 결심
	Ryusuke Hamaguchi	Drive My Car	ドライブ・マイ・カー
	Davy Chou	Return to Seoul	Retour à Séoul
	Darezhan Omirbaev	Poet	Akyn
2024	Hirokazu Kore-eda	Monster	怪物	[30]
	Gu Xiaogang	Dwelling by the West Lake	草木人間
	Ryusuke Hamaguchi	Evil Does Not Exist	悪は存在しない
	Kim Sung-su	12.12: The Day	서울의 봄
	Prasanna Vithanage	Paradise
2025	Daihachi Yoshida	Teki Cometh	敵	[31]
	Payal Kapadia	All We Imagine as Light
	Jang Jae-hyun	Exhuma	파묘
	Guan Hu	Black Dog	狗阵
	Rithy Panh	Meeting with Pol Pot	Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot

See also

• Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Director
• Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director
• European Film Award for Best Director
• Golden Horse Award for Best Director
• Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
• Silver Lion

References

1. Frater, Patrick (January 29, 2007). "Hong Kong to host new Asian awards". Variety . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
2. Tsui, Clarence (March 21, 2007). "South Korean film scoops inaugural awards". South China Morning Post . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
3. Chu, Karen (January 18, 2008). "'Lust' and war at Asian Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
4. Schwankert, Steven (March 18, 2008). "'Secret' winner at AFAs". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
5. Lim, Marcus (January 21, 2009). "'The Good' leads Asian awards race". Variety . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
6. Coonan, Clifford (March 23, 2009). "Japan shines at Asian Film Awards". Variety . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
7. Chu, Karen (January 20, 2010). "'Bodyguards,' 'Mother' top AFA noms". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
8. Landreth, Jonathan (March 22, 2010). "'Mother' tops Asian Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
9. Shackleton, Liz (January 20, 2011). "Bullets, Confessions lead nominations for Asian Film Awards". Screen Daily . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
10. Napolitano, Dean (March 22, 2011). "'Uncle Boonmee' Wins AFA Best Picture Award -- Scene Asia". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
11. Shackleton, Liz (January 17, 2012). "Flying Swords leads nominations for Asian Film Awards". Screen Daily . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
12. Napolitano, Dean (March 20, 2012). "'A Separation' Triumphs at 2012 Asian Film Awards - Complete List of Winners". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
13. Napolitano, Dean (March 18, 2013). "Full List: Winners of the Seventh Asian Film Awards 2013". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
14. Seno, Alexandra A. (March 28, 2014). "'The Grandmaster' Leads Asian Film Awards 2014 Winners". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
15. "'Blind Massage' The Big Winner as China Dominates Asian Film Awards". The Wall Street Journal . March 25, 2015. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
16. Shackleton, Liz (February 3, 2016). "'The Assassin' leads nods for Asian Film Awards". Screen Daily . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
17. Grater, Tom (March 18, 2016). "'The Assassin' sweeps Asian Film Awards". Screen Daily . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
18. Frater, Patrick (January 11, 2017). "'Handmaiden,' 'Bovary,' 'Train' Lead Asian Film Awards Nominations". Variety . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
19. Liu, Marian (March 22, 2017). "Iranian movie 'The Salesman' among big winners at Asian Film Awards". CNN . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
20. Shackleton, Liz (January 11, 2018). "'Legend Of The Demon Cat' leads Asian Film Awards nominations". Screen Daily . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
21. Shackleton, Liz (March 17, 2018). "Feng Xiaogang's 'Youth' wins best film at Asian Film Awards". Screen Daily . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
22. Lee, Edmund (January 11, 2019). "Asian Film Awards 2019 nominations: Burning, Shoplifters vie for top prizes". South China Morning Post . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
23. Lee, Edmund (March 18, 2019). "Asian Film Awards 2019 winners: Shoplifters named best picture; China, Japan and South Korea dominate". South China Morning Post . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
24. Noh, Jean (September 9, 2020). "'Parasite' heads nominations for first Asian Film Awards hosted by Busan". Screen Daily . Retrieved March 18, 2025.
25. Noh, Jean (October 28, 2020). "'Parasite' wins top prize at Asian Film Awards". Screen Daily . Retrieved March 18, 2025.
26. Soriano, Jianne (September 9, 2021). "Asian Film Awards 2021: Full List of Nominees". Tatler Asia . Retrieved March 18, 2025.
27. Soriano, Jianne (October 8, 2021). "All the Winners From the Asian Film Awards 2021". Tatler Asia . Retrieved March 18, 2025.
28. Rosser, Michael (January 6, 2023). "'Decision To Leave' leads Asian Film Awards nominations". Screen Daily . Retrieved March 16, 2025.
29. Rosser, Michael (March 12, 2023). "'Drive My Car' wins top prize at Asian Film Awards, Tony Leung takes two trophies". Screen Daily . Retrieved March 16, 2025.
30. Frater, Patrick; Ramachandran, Naman (March 10, 2024). "'Evil Does Not Exist' Wins Best Picture at Asian Film Awards". Variety . Retrieved March 16, 2025.
31. Brzeski, Patrick (March 16, 2025). "Asian Film Awards: 'All We Imagine as Light' Wins Best Picture, Yoshida Daihachi Takes Best Director for 'Teki Cometh'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 16, 2025.

External links

• Asian Film Awards Academy