Cast members Daniel Wu, Gao Yuanyuan and Louis Koo attend the opening ceremony of the 35th Hong Kong International Film Festival on Sunday, March 20, 2011. [Photo: CFP]?

The 35th Hong Kong International Film Festival began Sunday, March 20, with Johnnie To's romantic drama, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" ("Dan Shen Nan Nv") playing in the opening slot.

Gao Yuanyuan, Daniel Wu and Louis Koo, who portray a love triangle in the film, were among the few stars walking the lackluster opening red carpet.

Japanese nominees for the festival's major honors, the Asian Film Awards, were all absent due to the catastrophic earthquake that hit their country on March 11.

Chinese stars attending the festival expressed their support for their Japanese fellows. Louis Koo and Daniel Wu told reporters that they hoped their film, although being a lighthearted love story, would bring hope and encouragement to all people faced with adversity.

In the running for Best Film at the 5th Asian Film Awards include Jiang Wen's "Let the Bullets Fly" and Feng Xiaogang's "Aftershock", the top two best-selling Chinese-language films in history.

Winners will be announced on Monday, March 21, with the festival running through to April 5.