Taiwanese film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (
Yesterday's awards marked the first time a film from Asia has won the prestigious Oscar award for best foreign-language picture and is a major boost for Taiwan's film industry.
PHOTO: AFP
Although the film did not capture the two most coveted awards for best picture and best director -- those awards instead went to the film Gladiator and director Stephen Soderbergh -- director Ang Lee (李安) said he was pleased with the result.
"An Asian film has never taken the best foreign-language film [award] before. So we've won some credits for Taiwanese films," Lee said.
The first honor at the Oscar ceremony was given to Crouching Tiger's Tim Yip (葉錦添) from Hong Kong, for the Achievement in Art Direction Award. As Yip's name was announced, cheers erupted from Taiwan's representative group, which remained ecstatic throughout the four-hour awards ceremony.
The Shrine Auditorium where the event was held took on a distinctly Chinese atmosphere with many of Crouching Tiger's stars appearing in traditional Chinese dress. Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊), Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) and Cheng Pei-pei (鄭佩佩) all wore glamorous gowns -- with Zhang turning heads in her revealing chi-pao dress.
Yeoh wore a black and gold embroidered dress and presented an award for visual effects along with Chow Yun-fat (周潤發) of Hong Kong, who starred as the heroic swordsman in Crouching Tiger.
Pop singer Coco Lee (李玟) sang Crouching Tiger's theme song, A Love Before Time, marking the first time a Taiwanese singer has performed at the Oscars. She appeared in a shiny red Chinese dress, while onstage three dancers in costumes from the film went through choreographed martial arts maneuvers. The song was nominated for best original song.
Peter Pau (
"This is an honor for the Chinese people. Thank you!" Pau said.
However, the climax for Taiwan's representative group came when French actress Juliette Binoche announced the winner for the Best Foreign-language Film Award.
"The Oscar goes to ... Taiwan! Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," she shouted, bringing Ang Lee and his entourage, including his producer Hsu Li-kong (徐立功), to their feet.
"Thanks to my friends and family in Taiwan, my collaborators in Hong Kong and those who helped us in making this movie in China," Lee said, accepting the award.
Speaking before the ceremony, Lee said Crouching Tiger had cracked the shell of the US film market for Asian films. "Tiger has opened a door for Asian movies for wider acceptance. It will make it easier for Asian films to enter Hollywood and be recognized in major film awards," he said.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a