It's time again for the annual showdown tomorrow night at the 37th Golden Horse Awards (GHA,
For Taiwan though, this year's lineup of participating films is the cause of some embarrassment, since only about a third of the 44 films taking part this year are from Taiwan. Films from Hong Kong account for much of the remainder. This is a symptom of Taiwan's low annual production of films -- less than 20 productions per year.
But despite indications that the slump in Taiwan's movie industry is far from over, the coming together of such major figures as Ang Lee, Wong Kar-wai, Tony Leung (
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CENTRAL MOTION PICTURE CORPORATION
In addition to its box office success, Ang Lee's exhilarating martial art film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (
"A specialty of this year's Golden Horse is the abundance of excellent films," said the award's jury chairperson Lo Hui-min (
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CENTRAL MOTION PICTURE CORPORATION
According to film critic Wen Tien-hsiang (
PHOTO: COURTESY OF BUENA VISTA FILM CO., LTD.
However, quite a few dark horses have been crowned with gold in past Golden Horse ceremonies.
Mixed beginnings
PHOTO: COURTESY OF NEW ACTION ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD.
In the 1960s, the award was generally given to patriotic propaganda films. The word "golden horse" is a homophone for the abbreviation for Kinmen and Matzu, Taiwan's frontline islands opposite China. It was not until James Soong (
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MATA ENTERTAINMENT CO. LTD.
The GHA is a combination of the Oscar and European film awards, said Wen. "On one hand, it has the abundant technical awards of the Oscars. On the other, it has adopted the jury system used at the Cannes or Berlin Film Festivals," he said.
As its ideological color faded over time, the GHA has gradually become an award to encourage and applaud achievement in Chinese-language films from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, said Lee Hsing (
To a certain extent, the GHA remains the most anticipated cinematic award in the global Chinese film market. "First, it is the oldest. The Hong Kong Film Awards (
So the GHA is the only award able to bring Lee, Wong and Chinese filmmakers to compete in the same arena.
Strong contenders
Chinese American filmmaker Ann Hu's Shadow Magic (西洋鏡), which is nominated in seven categories, could be the dark horse for best picture this year. Shadow Magic is an intriguing East-meets-West movie that depicts how foreigners helped make China's first silent movie in the days of imperial China.
There are two other Hong Kong contenders for best picture. Jonnie To's (
The only purely Taiwanese film is Chen Yi-wen's The Cabbie (
"The Mission is a well-made, very enjoyable film," said film critic Regina Ho (
Ho and Wen predict that Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung will take the two top acting awards this year. Both play in Wong Kar-wai's exquisite "mood movie" In the Mood For Love.
Despite an outstanding performance, Cheung, as the winner of three previous best actress awards, will face stiff competition from either Zhang Zi-yi (
Also worth noting are two made-in-Taiwan films by young filmmakers. Hung Chih-yu's surprising debut Pure Accidents (
Unlike their predecessors, Ho Hsiao-hsien (
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
The Portuguese never established a presence on Taiwan, but they must have traded with the indigenous people because later traders reported that the locals referred to parts of deer using Portuguese words. What goods might the Portuguese have offered their indigenous trade partners? Among them must have been slaves, for the Portuguese dealt slaves across Asia. Though we often speak of “Portuguese” ships, imagining them as picturesque vessels manned by pointy-bearded Iberians, in Asia Portuguese shipping between local destinations was crewed by Asian seamen, with a handful of white or Eurasian officers. “Even the great carracks of 1,000-2,000 tons which plied
It’s only half the size of its more famous counterpart in Taipei, but the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Nature Science (NMNS, 國立自然科學博物館植物園) is surely one of urban Taiwan’s most inviting green spaces. Covering 4.5 hectares immediately northeast of the government-run museum in Taichung’s North District (北區), the garden features more than 700 plant species, many of which are labeled in Chinese but not in English. Since its establishment in 1999, the site’s managers have done their best to replicate a number of native ecosystems, dividing the site into eight areas. The name of the Coral Atoll Zone might
Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest. Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The
RSS