Veteran Taiwanese actors dominated both the best supporting actor and actress categories at the 45th Golden Horse Awards (金馬獎) held at the Taichung Chungshan Hall last night.
Seasoned actress Mei Fang (梅芳), a first-time nominee at the Golden Horse, ignited a big round of applause as she picked up the best supporting actress award for Orz Boyz (囧男孩). Ma Ju-long (馬如龍) bested Hong Kong’s Eason Chan (陳奕迅) and China’s Hu Jun (胡軍) to walk away with the trophy for his role in Cape No. 7.
“I have been in the business for 45 years. It is my first time being nominated and I won … I am really grateful to the director and producer who insisted on dragging me out of my retirement life in the US,” the excited Mei said backstage.
What made this year’s awards different from previous editions was the high likelihood that Taiwanese movies would win in major categories. Having broken the NT$460 million (US$13.7 million) mark to become the highest-grossing Chinese-language movie in Taiwan, Cape No. 7 (海角七號) picked up nine nominations. Yang Ya-che’s much-acclaimed children’s film Orz Boyz also made it onto the nomination list in four categories, including Best Feature Film, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress.
Johnnie To’s (杜琪峰) Sparrow (文雀) gave Cheng Siu-keung (鄭兆強), the director’s long-term partner, a well-deserved moment of fame as the veteran professional picked up the honor for best cinematography.
As a surprise to many, Taiwanese movies beat out big-budget epics The Warlords (投名狀) and Red Cliff (赤壁) in the technical categories. Chao Shih-hao (趙思豪) won the best art direction award for Parking (停車), while Luke Huang (黃育男) and Sai Com (康俊偉) picked up the Best Makeup and Costume Design for Candy Rain (花吃了那女孩) a lesbian ballad by Taiwan’s renowned musical director Chen Hung-i (陳宏一).
Cape No. 7 was already a winner early in the evening as its musical talent took home the best original film score and best original film song.
This year’s FIPRESCI prize went to Parking by seasoned TV commercial director and cinematographer Chung Mong-hong (鍾孟宏).
Taiwanese cinema reigned over short films, with female director Chiang Hsiu-chiung (姜秀瓊) taking home the trophy for Hopscotch (跳格子), a tale about a tow truck driver and an art teacher.
Local talent lost the best documentary award to Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang (張僑勇), awarded for his exploration on the destructive impact of the Three Gorges Dam in Up the Yangtze (沿江而上).
The Lifetime Achievement Award this year went to 85-year-old Chang Feng (常楓), who began performing on stage when serving in the military in 1940’s China. During his 60-year acting career, Chang was given the best leading and supporting actor accolades at the Golden Horse for his performances in Fragrant Flower Versus Noxious Grass (香花與毒草, 1976) and The Warmth of an Old House (頤園飄香, 1984) respectively.
A Special Contribution Award was handed to veteran film historian and critic Huang Jen (黃仁). Born in 1925, Huang has devoted himself to bringing new ideas to the country’s film circle and has been highly esteemed for his contributions as chief editor and author behinds countless film magazines, periodicals and publications.
The red-carpet parade saw a troupe of international stars and celebrities that included Ang Lee (李安), Shu Qi (舒淇), Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) and three-time Cesar Award-winning French actor and director Mathieu Amalric.
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
‘OFFSHORE OPERATIONS’: Also in Dallas, Texas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs inaugurated its third Taiwan Trade and Investment Center to foster closer cooperation The 2025 Taiwan Expo USA opened on Thursday in Dallas, Texas, featuring 150 Taiwanese companies showcasing their latest technologies in the fields of drones, smart manufacturing and healthcare. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event’s organizer, said the exhibitors this year include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer; AUO; PC brand Asustek Computer; and drone maker Thunder Tiger. In his opening speech, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said he expected Texas to become a world-class center for innovation and manufacturing as US technology companies from Silicon Valley and Taiwanese manufacturers form an industrial cluster
A 20-year-old man yesterday evening was electrocuted and fell to his death after he climbed a seven-story-high electricity tower to photograph the sunset, causing a wildfire on Datong Mountain (大同山) in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林), the Taoyuan Police Department said today. The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was accompanied on an evening walk by a 20-year-old woman surnamed Shang (尚) who remained on the ground and witnessed the incident, capturing a final photograph of her friend sitting atop the tower before his death, an initial investigation showed. Shang then sought higher ground to call for help, police said. The New Taipei
RSS