The 19th Asian Film Awards celebrated a trio of special honorees at the Xiqu Centre, West Kowloon in Hong Kong. Zhang Ziyi received the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Liu Haoran received the AFA Next Generation Award and Terrance Lau received the Rising Star Award. The ceremony was scaled back this year due to last year's deadly Hong Kong fire and was instead focused on individual talents. Dr. Wilfred Wong, chair of the AFAA, pledged that the academy will continue working with international organizations on activities that appeal to the film community and the public. The awards are part of AFAA's broader programming slate, which includes Asian cinema screenings and the International Film Camp initiative.