Producers Bianca Balbuena and Bradley Liew holding the statue of the Malaysia Golden Global Awards.

6 Mar - The first ever Malaysia Golden Global Awards (MGGA) ceremony had taken place at Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands on 5 March 2017 with "Singing in Graveyards" – a Malaysian-Filipino co-production, taking home the Best Picture award.

"It's feels wonderful just being nominated. We really didn't expect that we would win this award. To win something like this in Malaysia, where I was born – it's really special," said the director and producer of "Singing in Graveyards".

Bradley Liew receiving the award on stage.

Hosted by Malaysia's top comedian Harith Iskander and emcee and model Owen Yap, the inaugural awards ceremony featured performances from renowned local stars like professional violinist Dennis Lau, jazz queen Sheila Majid, Taiwan-based crooner Victor Wong and pop princess Shila Amzah.

Harith Iskander and Owen Yap.

The performances of the night.

Hong Kong actor, director and host Eric Tsang won the Best Actor award for the first time in 25 years. His last Best Actor award was in 1992 for his film "Alan and Eric Between Hello and Goodbye" at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Eric Tsang wins a Best Actor award after 25 years.

On the other hand, German actress Sandra Huller was named the Best Actress for her performance in the German-Austrian comedy-drama film "Toni Erdman", while Singaporean Boo Junfeng received the Best New Director award for his film, "Apprentice".

The prestigious ceremony also saw veteran actress Datuk Lai Meng or Aunty Lai Meng as she is more fondly known, receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for her various contribution to the Malaysian Chinese film industry.

90-year-old Aunty Lai Meng receives the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Some of the awards presenters at MGGA included Joe Cheung, Yeh Ju-feng, Dain Said, Shaheizy Sam, Elaine Jin, Anthony Wong, Josie Ho, Adreas Dresen and more.

Dain Said and Shaheizy Sam were among the award presenters at the event.

See the complete list of winners below:

Best New Director – Boo Junfeng, "Apprentice"
Best Cinematography – Pan Luo, "I Am Not Madame Bovary"
Lifetime Achievement Award – Datuk Lai Meng
Best Screenplay – Paul Laverty, "I, Daniel Blake"
The Audience Choice Award – "Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait"
Best Director – Brillante Mendoza, "Ma' Rosa"
Best Actress – Sandra Huller, "Toni Erdman"
Best Actor – Eric Tsang, "Mad World"
Best Film – "Singing in Graveyards"