A total of 32 movies were nominated to compete for 14 prizes at the 6th Asian Film Awards, the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) announced on Tuesday.

Organized by the HKIFFS and funded by CreatHK and the city's Film Development Fund, the Asian Film Awards aimed to commend outstanding films in Asia.

The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, jointly produced by Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong was a nominee of the Best Film, the Best Director, the Best Actor, and four other categories, becoming the film most frequently appeared on the nomination list.

Mainland's production The Flowers of War and Taiwan's Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale got six nominations each of them, including the Best Film and the Best Director.

Also running for the Best Film and Best Director awards was Iranian drama Nader and Simin: A Separation, a festive favorite which has won tremendous critical acclaim.

Hong Kong artist Deanie Ip, who received the best actress award for a local film A Simple Life at the Venice Film Festival, together with the film's leading actor Andy Lau, a famous local singing artist, were respectively nominated the Best Actress and Best Actor.

Other films on the list were You Are the Apple of My Eye, a Taiwan film which hit it big on the box office both in Taiwan and Hong Kong; Indonesian film The Mirror Never Lies; Japan's Guilty of Romance; War of the Arrows from South Korea, and some other ones.

The organizer will also recognize the outstanding efforts and careers of professionals in the Asian film industry with three special awards: the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Edward Yang New Talent Award and the Award for 2011's Top-Grossing Asian Film.

The presentation ceremony of the Awards will be held in Hong Kong on March 19.