NEW DELHI: A Chinese film set during the Covid-19 pandemic has clinched the top prizes at Taiwanโs prestigious Golden Horse Awards, despite ongoing political tensions between the two regions. The awards, often dubbed the Chinese-language โOscars,โ saw the highest number of Chinese entries recently, with more than 200 films participating.
In 2019, Beijing banned its entertainers from joining the Golden Horse Awards after a Taiwanese director expressed support for the islandโs independence during an acceptance speech in 2018. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, a claim rejected by the Taipei government, leading to a significant drop in Chinese A-listers and major productions at the event.
This yearโs standout was acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye, who won Best Director for his docu-drama โAn Unfinished Film,โ which also took home the Best Picture award. Although Lou was absent from the ceremony, his wife, Ma Yingli, accepted the awards on his behalf, describing the film as โthe most special directing job I have ever done.โ The movie depicts the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan.
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Chinese actor Zhang Zhiyong did not attend the awards and won Best Actor for his role in Geng Junโs same-sex drama โBel Ami.โ Meanwhile, Hong Kongโs Chung Suet-ying was named Best Actress for her performance in โThe Way We Talk,โ a film about the deaf community. Neither โBel Amiโ nor โAn Unfinished Filmโ has been released in China.
After several years of absence, Chinese stars began returning to the awards last year. On Saturday, Geng Jun and some cast members from โBel Amiโ joined stars and filmmakers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan on the red carpet. While Geng missed out on Best Director and Best Picture, โBel Amiโ won awards for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
Despite the political tensions, the Golden Horse Awards continue to provide a platform for independent Chinese films that lack distribution opportunities on the mainland. Taiwanese film critic Wonder Weng praised Lou Yeโs โAn Unfinished Filmโ as โa work of conscience,โ noting that it preserves historical images and offers a different perspective on the pandemic.
