The HKAFF 2024 Young Jury, comprising ten secondary school students, selected the Iranian film In the Land of Brothers as the winner of the Young Jury Award, out of five Asian films.

The winning film was selected by the Junior Jury after a heated debate! At the closing ceremony of the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, the Jury explained their reasons for giving the award to the film: ‘The film's adept three-part narrative structure powerfully illustrates the trauma and struggles of Afghan refugees, uniting symbolic imagery and naturalistic cinematography to exemplify their humanity and adversities as second-class citizens in a new country. Moreover, the powerful acting and dramatic irony embed a sombre tone into the whole film, showcasing the morally grey survival tactics of the refugees to embellish the tumultuous and helpless mindsets of the protagonists, spurring audience empathy. The film delivers a compelling message about the lifelong impact of war on refugees that resonated heavily with the Young Jury.’

Director Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi, who were unable to receive the award in person noted in their speech that ‘In the Land of Brothers is a story close to our hearts, and knowing it resonated with audiences means so much to us. Thank you for embracing this story and for giving us the chance to share it with you. We hope to see you in person at the next edition.'

We have invited Hong Kong Asian Film Festival Ambassador Rachel Leung to share with young juries her experience in acting. Tonight, we invited her again to present the award to the young jury to encourage the young people to recommend films to the audience. We would like to thank Rachel again for her selfless sharing and mentor Gil Fung for his guidance to the Junior Jurors.

We hope that the Junior Jury will maintain their passion for film and look forward to meeting you again in the cinema!