Hong Kong actress Angela Yuen has secured her first major cinematic award, taking home the Best Actress prize at the 2025 New Zealand Asia Pacific Film Festival (NZAPFF) for her compelling role in the film Twenty-Four Flavours. The recognition highlights Yuen’s ascending career and the resilient spirit of the production, which overcame significant logistical challenges during its pandemic-era shoot.

The award-winning film, subtitled Twenty-Four Flavours, is a poignant exploration of family dynamics, trauma, and resilience. It provided Yuen with a transformative opportunity, marking her first collaboration, and subsequent mentorship, with legendary actress Sylvia Chang.

Collaboration Fuels Career Breakthrough

Yuen’s decision to join the cast of Twenty-Four Flavours was immediate upon learning of Sylvia Chang’s involvement. According to Yuen, the collaboration was instrumental in her professional development.

“I learned so much about acting precision and professional dedication from Sister Chang during the shoot,” Yuen remarked. This partnership quickly bore further fruit: “It was because of this experience that when Sister Chang began preparing for her next project, He Nian · Ta Ri (Years Ago, Days Later), I was the first person she proposed for the role of Anqing.”

Yuen extended deep gratitude to Chang for her mentorship and guidance, while also acknowledging the production team’s arduous efforts in completing the film safely and effectively amid global health restrictions. She expressed anticipation for the film’s broader public release.

Exploring Generational Trauma in a Vanishing Market

Directed and written by Wing-Lam Wong, Twenty-Four Flavours uses cinematic artistry to chronicle a deeply human story set against the backdrop of changing urban life and personal history. The ensemble cast also features veteran actor Kenny Bee.

The narrative centers on April (Yuen), who returns to her hometown after years abroad. She finds her long-divorced parents have reconciled, triggering painful memories of her youth when she desperately tried to save her parents’ marriage after her father’s infidelity.

The film’s core conflict revolves around a traditional herbal tea shop run by April’s mother, Qiaozhen (Sylvia Chang), which faces imminent demolition. April attempts to convince Qiaozhen to move abroad, but Qiaozhen is resolute in her desire to preserve the shop.

Meanwhile, April’s estranged father, Yongtang (Kenny Bee), returns to the family fold and secretly attempts to raise funds to secure the shop’s future, only to become entangled in a scam. The plot complexity deepens with the introduction of April’s fiercely independent half-sister, Xiaojing.

Key Thematic Elements of Twenty-Four Flavours:

• Reconciliation and Regret: The film analyzes the long-term impact of familial trauma and the difficulty of finding forgiveness.
• Urban Heritage: The threatened herbal tea shop symbolizes vanishing cultural traditions in modernizing cities.
• Self-Reflection: April’s journey home forces her to confront the past she has long evaded, piece by piece.

Yuen’s nuanced portrayal of April’s internal conflict—navigating filial duty, inherited trauma, and the necessity of self-discovery—earned critical acclaim at the NZAPFF. The win solidifies her standing as one of the most promising talents emerging from Hong Kong cinema, demonstrating how challenging production environments can foster exceptional artistic outcomes. The success of Twenty-Four Flavours underscores the enduring power of intimate, character-driven narratives to resonate on an international stage.