Golden Horse Awards: A Night of Big Wins

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The 54th edition of the Golden Horse Awards ceremony kicked off Saturday in Taipei, Taiwan, with local movie production "The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful" becoming the biggest winner by taking home three awards.

"The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful", directed by Yang Ya-che, took the awards for the Best Feature Film, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. It tells the stories of three generations of women in a family, and their intertwined destinies and love in a world of power and commerce.

Crew of "The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful" receive awards on stage. /Photo via douban.com

Two of the actors in the movie, Hui Ying-hung and Chen Wen-chi, also became big winners. 57-year-old Hui, who has been nominated three times for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Horse Film Festival and finally got the award in 2009, took home the Best Leading Actor this time. She expressed gratitude to the two supporting actresses, and saying that she will "come back" again.

14-year-old Chen Wen-chi was awarded the Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for the Best Leading Actor with movie "Angels Wear White", making her the youngest nominee in the category.

Meanwhile, Chinese mainland director-producer Vivian Qu has pocketed the Best Director with "Angels Wear White", a film about the effects of sexual assault.

Hui Ying-hung in the movie "The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful". /Photo via douban.com

Mainland actor Tu Men was awarded the Best Leading Actor award for his performance in the small-budget movie "Old Beast". The film also garnered the Best Original Screenplay. The Golden Horse Awards committee said Tu Men’s acting was “”the soul of the movie“”.

Chang Ai-chia, actress and director based in Taipei, will retire from the president of the Golden Horse Awards by the end of the year, with Oscar-winner Ang Lee taking her place. Lee promised continued efforts in providing an encouraging and fair competitive platform for the Chinese-language movies.

This year’s award ceremony was attended by big names including Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, Hollywood star Jessica Chastain, and actress Shu Qi, as they walked down the red carpet to cheering fans ahead of the ceremony in Taipei's Sen Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

A photo of Tu Men in "Old Beast". /Photo via douban.com

Early in October, nominees of the 54th Golden Horse Awards was announced with 576 submissions made up of 202 feature films, 6 animation features, 95 documentaries, 217 live action short films and 56 animated short films).

Among the nominees, independent films from the Chinese mainland were exceptionally eye-catching as nine independent films, including hugely popular and highly acclaimed films "Angels Wear White" and "Free and Easy", won 20 nominations in the intense competition this year.

Actor Tu Men and actress Hui Ying-hung pose for photos. /Photo via ifeng.com‍

By boosting the Chinese film industry and awarding good filmmakers, the awards have continued to stimulate exchange of ideas and inspire creativity in Chinese films.

As one of the most honorable and prestigious awards of the Chinese-language films in Asia, the Golden Horse Awards is an annual event that started in 1962. The award ceremony plays a significant role to promote the development of Chinese-language filmmaking.

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