HONG KONG — Chinese director Feng Xiaogang’s coming-of-age drama “Youth” picked up best film at the 12th Asian Film Awards on Saturday night, while the fantasy epic “Legend of the Demon Cat” — a Hong Kong, Japan and mainland China production from director Chen Kaige — picked up four awards, the most for any one film.

Louis Koo was named best actor for his role in the Hong Kong movie “Paradox,” which also won best action film.

Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang received double awards: best actress for her performance in “Love Education” and the AFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Chang is one of Asia’s most prominent filmmakers, working both in front of and behind the camera.

“I’ve loved singing and performing since I was young, but I always felt uneasy in a photo studio. That’s how I gradually learned what I was good at,” Chang said in a statement prior to Saturday’s awards event. “You’ll always be attracted to what you like. If you keep running towards that forest, you’ll open up a world that grows bigger with time. That world has everything, and you’ll never stop learning about it.”

Previous recipients of the AFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark, Korean director Im Kwon-taek, Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien, Hong Kong director Ann Hui, Hong Kong producer Raymond Chow, Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan and Japanese director Yoji Yamada.

Chen, the director of “Legend of the Demon Cat,” is one of China’s most critically acclaimed filmmakers. In 1993, his film “Farewell My Concubine” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the festival’s highest honor.

Film critic Maggie Lee described “Legend of the Demon Cat” as “a visually and mentally seductive piece of historic revisionism,” in her review for Variety, adding “this stunning blockbuster shows that a superior original source, vaunting artistic ambition and a $170 million budget can turn a potboiler supernatural whodunit into something of ravishing beauty.”

Other distinctions on Saturday night were given to Hong Kong actress Kara Wai Ying-hung, with the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award; Lim Yoon-a of South Korea with the AFA Next Generation Award; and the mainland Chinese blockbuster “Wolf Warrior 2” for the 2017 Top-Grossing Asian Film Award.

This year’s total 89 nominees were among 32 films from 10 countries competing in 17 categories, including two new sections: best new director and best action film. The awards ceremony was held at the Venetian hotel in Macau.

The full list of nominees and winners:

Best Film

• “Angels Wear White” (France/Mainland China)
• “Newton” (India)
• “The Day After” (South Korea)
• “The Third Murder” (Japan)
• “Youth” (Mainland China)  – WINNER

Best Director

• Chen Kaige, “Legend of the Demon Cat” (Hong Kong/Japan/Mainland China)
• Sylvia Chang, “Love Education” (Mainland China/Taiwan)
• Ann Hui, “Our Time Will Come” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)
• Hong Sang-soo, “The Day After” (South Korea)
• Yuya Ishii, “The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue” (Japan)  – WINNER
• Feng Xiaogang, “Youth” (Mainland China)

Best New Director

• Vivian Qu, “Angels Wear White” (France/Mainland China)
• Anucha Boonyawatana, “Malila: The Farewell Flower” (Thailand)
• Huang Hsin-yao, “The Great Buddha+” (Taiwan)
• Dong Yue, “The Looming Storm” (Mainland China)  – WINNER
• Derek Hui, “This Is Not What I Expected” (Hong Kong/Mainland China
• Yoshiyuki Kishi, “Wilderness” (Japan)

Best Actor

• Kim Yun-seok, “1987: When the Day Comes” (South Korea)
• Sukollawat Kanarot, “Malila: The Farewell Flower” (Thailand)
• Rajkummar Rao, “Newton” (India)
• Louis Koo, “Paradox” (Hong Kong)  – WINNER
• Duan Yihong, “The Looming Storm” (Mainland China)

Best Actress

• Yu Aoi, “Birds Without Names” (Japan)
• Sylvia Chang, “Love Education” (Mainland China/Taiwan)  – WINNER
• Marsha Timothy, “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts” (France/Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand)
• Kim Min-hee, “The Day After” (South Korea)
• Zhou Dongyu, “This Is Not What I Expected” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)

Best Supporting Actor

• Yoo Hae-jin, “A Taxi Driver” (South Korea)
• Geng Le, “Angels Wear White” (France/Mainland China)
• Tian Zhuangzhuang, “Love Education” (Mainland China/Taiwan)
• Eddie Peng, “Our Time Will Come” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)
• Yang Ik-joon, “Wilderness” (Japan)  – WINNER

Best Supporting Actress

• Choi Hee-seo, “Anarchist from Colony” (South Korea)
• Hana Sugisaki, “Blade of the Immortal” (Japan)
• Kitty Zhang Yuqi, “Legend of the Demon Cat” (Hong Kong/Japan/Mainland China)  – WINNER
• Estelle Wu, “Love Education” (Mainland China/Taiwan)
• Suzu Hirose, “The Third Murder” (Japan)

Best Newcomer

• Zhou Meijun, “Angels Wear White” (France/Mainland China)
• Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, “Bad Genius” (Thailand)  – WINNER
• Lim Yoon-a, “Confidential Assignment” (South Korea)
• Ling Man-lung, “Tomorrow Is Another Day” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)
• Akari Kinoshita, “Wilderness” (Japan)
• Zhong Chuxi, “Youth” (Mainland China)

Best Action Film

• “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds” (South Korea)
• “Blade of the Immortal” (Japan)
• “Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield” (Mainland China)
• “Paradox” (Hong Kong)  – WINNER
• “The Thousand Faces of Dunjia” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)

Best Screenplay

• Hwang Seong-gu, “Anarchist from Colony” (South Korea)
• Tanida Hantaweewatana, Vasudhorn Piyaromna, Nattawut Poonpiriya, “Bad Genius” (Thailand)
• Sylvia Chang, You Xiaoying, “Love Education” (Mainland China/Taiwan)
• Mayank Tewari, Amit V. Masurkar, “Newton” (India) – WINNER
• Yan Geling, “Youth” (Mainland China)

Best Editing

• Li Nien-hsiu, “mon mon mon MONSTERS” (Taiwan)
• Mary Stephen, Kong Chi-leung, “Our Time Will Come” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)
• Shin Min-kyung, “The King” (South Korea)  – WINNER
• Hirokazu Kore-eda, “The Third Murder” (Japan)
• Zhang Qi, “Youth” (Mainland China)

Best Cinematography

• Cao Yu, “Legend of the Demon Cat” (Hong Kong/Japan/Mainland China)
• Yunus Pasolang, “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts” (France/Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand)
• Kim Ji-yong, “The Fortress” (South Korea)  – WINNER
• Nagao Nakashima, “The Great Buddha+” (Taiwan)
• Mikita Takimoto, “The Third Murder” (Japan)

Best Original Music

• Jo Young-wook, “A Taxi Driver” (South Korea)
• Wen Zi, “Angels Wear White” (France/Mainland China)
• Joe Hisaishi, “Our Time Will Come” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)  – WINNER
• Lin Sheng-xiang, “The Great Buddha+” (Taiwan)
• Taro Iwashiro, “Wilderness” (Japan)

Best Costume Design

• Shim Hyun-sup, “Anarchist from Colony” (South Korea)
• Rama Rajamouli, Prashanti Tipirineni, “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” (India)
• Yuya Maeda, “Blade of the Immortal” (Japan)
• Chen Tongxun, “Legend of the Demon Cat” (Hong Kong/Japan/Mainland China)  – WINNER
• Shirley Chan, “The Thousand Faces of Dunjia” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)

Best Production Design

• Lee Mok-won, “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds” (South Korea)
• Tu Nan, Lu Wei, “Legend of the Demon Cat” (Hong Kong/Japan/Mainland China)  – WINNER
• Frans Paat, “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts” (France/Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand)
• Yohei Taneda, “The Third Murder” (Japan)
• Ben Luk, “This Is Not What I Expected” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)

Best Visual Effects

• Jin Jong-hyun, “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds” (South Korea)
• Ankur Sachdev, “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” (India)
• Shingo Kobayashi, “Gintama” (Japan)
• Norio Ishii, “Legend of the Demon Cat” (Hong Kong/Japan/Mainland China)  – WINNER
• Huang Mei-cing, Pao Cheng-hsun, “mon mon mon MONSTERS” (Taiwan)
• Jang Seong-ho, Park Young-soo, Son Ohh-young, “The Thousand Faces of Dunjia” (Hong Kong/Mainland China)

Best Sound

• Wang Gang, “Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield” (Mainland China)
• Khikmawan Santosa, “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts” (France/Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand)
• Tu Du-chih, Wu Shu-yao, Tu Chun-tang, “mon mon mon MONSTERS” (Taiwan)
• Choi Tae-young, “The Fortress” (South Korea)
• Tu Du-chih, Wu Shu-yao, “The Great Buddha+” (Taiwan)  – WINNER