Singaporeans Mark Lee and Peter Yu nabbed both acting awards at the Ho Chi Minh International Film Festival on Apr. 13.
Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor
Mark Lee won Best Actor and Peter Yu won Best Supporting Actor for the 2023 Singaporean film "Wonderland".
While they were not present at the event to receive the award, director Chai Yee Wei stood in for them.
“This is my first international award! Thank you judge! Thank you director! Thank you producer and screenwriter! Thank you to all the cast and crew members! Thank you! Thank you!”
This is Yu's first international acting award for a feature film. He won an award for a short film in 2018.
International recognition
Michelle Chang, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Mocha Chai Laboratories, congratulated the pair on their first acting awards in a feature.
She said in a statement:
"This is Mark’s first acting award in a feature film. Seeing Mark and Peter move the audiences here in Vietnam made us even more confident that Wonderland’s themes transcend boundaries and borders and are universally relatable.”
Chai also told The New Paper:
"This showed that our Singaporean actors have the ability to win over audiences and jury from around the world, from [the] US to Ho Chi Minh City.
And I think it is incredible that I have two of the best Singaporean actors who won the acting awards from such a strong line-up of international movies. So grateful."
"Wonderland" also won the Local Jury Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival earlier this year.
The award is presented to the film that best promotes understanding and acceptance between people.
About "Wonderland"
In this Mandarin and Hokkien drama film set in 1980s Singapore, Lee and Yu play two middle-aged fathers who bond over their love for their daughters.
It has an all-Singaporean cast including Xenia Tan, Janice Seah and Rajeswary Nadarajan.
"Wonderland" will be showing in Singapore cinemas from Aug 8.
You can watch the movie teaser here:
Top images via Mocha Chai Laboratories.