"The Grandmaster" again came out a runaway winner in the Hong Kong Film Awards just as it did in the recent Asian Film Awards.

Bagging 12 awards out of 14 nominations, the kung fu epic by ace director Wong Kar Wai was a record breaker during Sunday's awarding ceremonies at the Hong Kong Cultural Center.

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Previously, both "Cold War" (2012) and "Comrades: Almost a Love Story" (1997) won 9 awards each in the Hong Kong Film Awards.

"The Grandmaster" brought home the Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor trophies, along with eight other award categories.

The Best Director award was the third for Wong Kar Wai, preceded by his 1994 achievement for the film "Chungking Express", and his first trophy for "Days of Being Wild" in 1990.

Zhang Ziyi was named Best Actress for her role as Gong Er, the heiress of a Northern Chinese martial arts dynasty.

Zhang was also honored with the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards following a series of nine wins as Best Actress, from the Asian Film Awards in Macau to the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei, and now at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

A teary-eyed Zhang spoke about the challenging life circumstances that gave her the courage and inspiration to portray Gong Er.

"The Hong Kong Film Awards has given me a new starting line, to start from the beginning and keep working hard. Do a good job with every film and each character, and hard work will eventually be paid off," Zhang said.

Although Tony Leung, the lead actor of "The Grandmaster", did not win the best actor award, Zhang believed that he was equally deserving of recognition.

The Best Actor award went to Nick Cheung for his role in "Unbeatable", his second best actor trophy after his 2008 performance in "Beast Stalker". He thanked the film crew and sang "The Sound of Silence" onstage.

The Grandmaster also won the Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Design, Best Original Film Score, Best Action Choreography, Best Costume and Make-up Design and Best Art Direction.

Kara Wai won the Best Supporting Actress for "Rigor Mortis", filmed by first-time director Juno Mak.

Adam Wong was named Best New Director for "The Way We Dance" where the work of Best New Performer Babyjohn Choi was also featured.