Taiwan held its Golden Horse Awards this past weekend. The awards are the most prestigious awards for Chinese-language films.
Movie stars and producers from China boycotted this year’s awards due to political statements made on stage last year. The show went on all the same. The big winners of the night were “A Sun” and “Detention “.
Chung Mong-hong’s film “A Sun” was one of the biggest winners at the Golden Horse Awards, the Chinese-language equivalent of the Oscars. The nearly three-hour film depicts a family torn by a crime committed by its youngest son. It won Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Male Actor, Best Film Editing, as well as the Audience Choice Award.
Director Chung Mong-hong said, “The most touching aspect of making a film is having the crew by your side the whole way. This support was a powerful force that enabled me to make this movie.”
Chen Yi Wen and Yeo Yann-yann were the night’s stars, winning best leading actor for “A Sun” and best leading actress for “Wet Season”.
The Taiwanese blockbuster horror film “Detention” was also a big winner. The film is set during Taiwan’s 1960’s White Terror era and is an adaptation of a horror adventure video game. The film won Best New Director, Best Art Direction, Best Original Film Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Visual Effects.
There were fewer stars than usual due to a Chinese boycott of this year’s Golden Horse Awards, the Chinese-language equivalent of the Oscars, but there was more global interest in the awards as a result. Oscar Award-winning director Ang Lee said that the works being celebrated this year were as good as in any other year. He also extended good will to all Chinese filmmakers. “There were fewer films this year, and that’s regrettable, but our arms are always wide open. We welcome any Chinese-language films and directors.”