The 39th Golden Horse Awards got started yesterday evening in Kaohsiung with an abundance of Hong Kong contenders and plenty of relatively new faces. Despite the almost total dominance of Hong Kong talent, Chang Tso-chi picked up the Best Picture award for The Best of Times, one of only five and the only significant award picked up by a Taiwan film.
The people of the port city turned out in force to greet the stars, but the flood of southern hospitality and passion made an odd contrast with the blandness of the award ceremony itself. The Kaohsiung City Government has thrown itself behind the event with considerable vigor, contributing NT$16 million and the use of the splendid Kaohsiung Cultural Center as the venue. But this didn't do much to balance the feeling that the Golden Horse Awards this year are more of a Hong Kong event than a Taiwanese one.
The lack of major films or big name stars in the nominations somewhat detracted from the event from the start. And then, with Hong Kong films sweeping up most of the important acting awards, and maintaining a strong hold on the technical categories, Taiwan seemed likely to be totally ignored at its own film festival.
The Best of Times was Taiwan's only real medal hope in the major awards. It went into the competition with nine nominations, behind Hollywood Hong Kong by Hong Kong director Fruit Chan, already a veteran of the Golden Horse, who garnered 14 nominations, a Golden Horse record. Chang took a ride on an emotional roller coaster during the course of the award ceremony as Best of Times was beaten out repeatedly by Hong Kong films. Winning the Best Taiwan Film of the Year seemed to announce the end of major award hopes early in the ceremony. The film did pick up the Audience award, but it was the sad truth that there were no other local choices.
Perhaps most galling for Chang was to see first-time actor Kao Meng-jie
July Rhapsody, which was not nominated in any of the major categories except best picture, was a dark horse that picked up three major awards. In a somewhat unusual move, Karena Lam, the Taiwan-born singer who has developed her career in Hong Kong, picked up Best Supporting Actress as well as Best New Performer for her role in July Rhapsody. She beat out bigger name stars for her portrayal of a precocious young girl who falls in love with her teacher, played by Jacky Cheung (張學友). After accepting her second award, Lam was virtually speechless with surprise, saying only that she would have to treat her co-star and idol Jacky Cheung to a big meal. With contracts signed for two more movies, the coup of picking up two awards will do the first-time actress no harm in her career.
July Rhapsody also picked up Best Original Screen Play for Ivy Ho, the writer of the highly regarded Comrades, Almost a Love Story (甜蜜蜜, 1996). Speaking to the Taipei Times, Ho said that although Comrades received more critical acclaim, she feels more strongly about the script for July Rhapsody.
The rather lackluster mood of the award ceremony was only broken by one award, which had many Taiwan film professionals reaching for their hankies. Ang Lee (李安), on a three-day whirlwind visit, taking time off from post-production on the Incredible Hulk which is scheduled to open in the US in June, presented a Lifetime Achievement award to Lung Sihung (郎雄), who died in early May. Lung was Taiwan cinema's great father figure, and cooperated with Lee on films ranging from Pushing Hands (1992) to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. His long time collaborator Kuei Ya-lei (歸亞蕾), who often played his on-screen wife, sang a song in memory of him. It is a tribute to Lung's high standing that the occasion came off in touching rather than maudlin fashion.
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