Operation Red Sea, an anti-terrorism action film directed by Wuchuan native Dante Lam (Lin Chaoxian), earned eight nods at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards, according to the list of nominees released on Feb 12.

Founded in 1982, the Hong Kong Film Awards are the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong and East Asia. They are the Hong Kong equivalent to the American Academy Awards and British BAFTAs.

Operation Red Sea is likely to become one of the biggest winners this year after earning eight nominations for Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Action Choreography, Best Sound Design, and Best Visual Effects.

Director Dante Lam poses in front of the poster for Operation Red Sea. [Photo by Hong Xiao/China Daily]

The film is loosely based on the Chinese navy's real-life evacuation of 600 Chinese citizens from the port city of Aden during the 2015 Yemeni Civil War. Some of its scenes were shot in Zhanjiang in the summer of 2017.

The Spring Festival blockbuster raked in 3.65 billion yuan ($538.8 million) when it premiered in February 2018, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of all time in China. Last September, it was also chosen as Hong Kong's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 91st Academy Awards.