Hong Kong film director Johnnie To (杜琪峰) has resigned as chairman of the jury for this year’s 56th Golden Horse Awards due to contractual obligations, the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee said on Thursday.
To’s resignation came after a boycott by Beijing led to the withdrawal of Chinese and Hong Kong movies, casts and crews from this year’s awards, sparking speculation that Chinese interference was behind To quitting the jury.
The festival committee declined to comment on that speculation.
To resigned mainly due to a clash with movie contracts he had previously signed, the committee said.
To apologized for any inconvenience caused by his resignation, the committee said, adding that its chairman Ang Lee (李安) had expressed his understanding for To’s situation and had wished him success with his new productions.
The vacancy left is to be filled by Taiwanese director Wang Toon (王童), the recipient of last year’s Golden Horse Award for Lifetime Achievement, the committee said.
Wang is a two-time winner of the Golden Horse Award for Best Director, as well as successes in the Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design categories.
The nominees for this year’s awards are to be announced on Oct. 1 and the ceremony is to take place on Nov. 23.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) on Wednesday last week said that the Democratic Progressive Party and “Taiwan independence” forces should be blamed for the withdrawal of Chinese participants from this year’s festival.
Some Taiwanese have been using cross-strait events to spread “Taiwan independence” propaganda, undermining those cross-strait exchanges, Ma said.
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺) said that To’s decision to resign was deeply regrettable.
Every year, filmmakers and experts from around the world participate in the jury selection process for the Golden Horse Awards, which are the most prestigious awards in Chinese-language cinema, Chen said.
China should stop interfering in cross-strait cultural exchanges, and allow casts and crews from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere to enjoy the fruits of their labor at the annual festival, he said.
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