Lau proves he's a real leading man Eddie Luk Tuesday, March 20, 2012 Superstar Andy Lau Tak-wah and other prominent figures in entertainment, education, community development and business were honored for their outstanding achievements at the 18th Leader of the Year awards ceremony last night. The star-studded event was held at the Grand Hyatt hotel and organized by Sing Tao News Corporation. It was attended by hundreds of dignitaries. Chief Secretary for Administration Stephen Lam Sui-lung was the guest of honor. Lau was named Leader of the Year 2011 in Sports/Culture/Performing Arts category for his achievements in the past 30 years. He has starred in more than 120 films, recorded more than 100 albums and staged around 400 concerts. Lau said it feels right to receive the award at this time. He recalled going through hard times in producing his own movies around 10 years ago. Lau's latest film A Simple Life, in which he co- stars with popular actress Deanie Ip Tak-han, has garnered a number of awards recently. Lau won the best actor award while Ip received the best actress trophy at the Taipei Golden Horse Awards. "The success of A Simple Life does give me a lot of encouragement," Lau said. "Being a good leader, I think it is important to get talented people around you and listen to their opinions." Meanwhile, renowned film director Ann Hui On-wah was honored for her outstanding contribution in the same category. "In the past, Hong Kong film directors focused on producing martial arts films," said Hui, the director of A Simp le Life, in a video message. "In recent years, it has been proven that local directors are capable of producing art films and raising citizens' concerns on local cultural development." John Leong Chi-yan, president of the Open University of Hong Kong, received the Leader of the Year award in the Education/Research category. Leong, former dean of the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Medicine and a specialist in orthopedics and traumatology, sa