Best Picture 2018 Winner

Million Loves in Me

Inspired by a true story and a headline case in Hong Kong, MILLION LOVES IN ME follows the story of a wealthy mother and daughter who suffer from the psychological issues of obsessive- compulsive disorders, and their controversial private lives are exposed to the public through a charge of their animal hoarding behavior by the police. The topic of animal hoarding, to our knowledge, has not been shot into a movie in cinematic history. The story begins when Katy, the 45-year old daughter, is charged with animal cruelty after the police discovers more than a hundred dogs and cats being hoarded at her apartment. Following her trial at the court, the abnormal lives of Katy and her mother are unveiled. Behind their weird appearances, the mother and daughter live an extremely well-off life, with an uncontrollable urge to shop excessively for clothes, handbags and pets. They are despised and disliked by people wherever they go. Their unusual behavior arouses the attention of their neighborhood reporter who starts to investigate into their lives. After he finds out about the animal hoarding situation at their apartment, he discloses the matter to the public for the sake of justice. However, after seeing Katy being caught by the police and devastated by the intense public criticism, he begins to doubt the morality of his own actions... The film examines the common mental disorders that affect people from all ages across the world, while sometimes the sufferers may not even notice about the illnesses. In the story, both Katy and her mother are victims of these obsessive-compulsive disorders. Katy's mother has developed an obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) after being abandoned by her husband and son. Consequently, she has an obsessive need for control over her daughter's life. On the other hand, Katy has been living in an invisible cage set up by her dominant mother since childhood, without enjoying any normal school or social life. Being physically and emotionally abused by her mother, she has developed symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in her early age. At the age of 45, the poor woman only has the intellect of a 15 year-old child, and her gullible character makes her easily fall for men who cheat her out of money. Although her life is miserable under her mother's domination, Katy is indeed unable to live an independent life as a normal person. Likewise, in order to cope with her compulsion to control, her mother is unable to detach herself from her daughter. The two inseparable women seek relief from their respective disorders through excessive shopping, ending up in the hoarding of pets at their home. The pets are almost the only object in which Katy can find her comfort and trust. She treats them as her best friends, but on the contrary everyone blames her for being cruel to them. MILLION LOVES IN ME is a winner and official selection in international film festivals across Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. Winnings include World Newcomer Filmmaker of the Year (for Producers Kenny Chan and John Y), Best Picture, Best Actress (Lo Koon Lan), World Actor of the Year and Best Actor (John Y), Supporting Actress (Ruby Yap), Supporting Actor (Wilson Lee), Ensemble of Cast, Music, and Sound. MILLION LOVES IN ME is directed by Sampson YUEN, whose previous works include a famous TV drama in Hong Kong in which the international renowned Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung’s acting debut and the top-grossing films Bullets Over Petaling Street and Petaling Street Warriors. The film stars LO Koon-Lan, the well-respected award-winning actress from Hong Kong and John Y, who is also the scriptwriter and co-producer of the film. John is formerly a practicing lawyer in Hong Kong and makes his acting debut in this debatable drama about animal hoarding, mental disorder and confinement of life.