Golden Horse Winners: Stray Dogs, The Grandmaster, Ilo Ilo
Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 9:58AM I watched the show live. I didn't understand a word but awards shows are universal. Full list of winners and what it might mean for Oscar (multiple Oscar submissions competed here) after the jump.
I watched the show live. I didn't understand a word but awards shows are universal.
Tsai Ming-Liang won Best Director for Stray Dogs at the 50th annual Golden Horse Awards but the wealth was spread at the anniversary show with two Oscar submissions The Grandmaster and Ilo Ilo also winning big. Tsai was tearful and kissed his regular actress Kuei-Mei Yang stage. She appears in almost all his films and brushes her hair for five minutes at the beginning of Stray Dogs because... why not? Memorable opening scenes are the way to go. I have yet to see it but the raves and prizes have piled up.
After a montage of all 49 previous Best Actress winners (lots of crying, soulful gazes, and Maggie Cheungness) the Immortal Goddess Maggie Cheung and superstar Andy Lau presented Best Actress with fashion posing and comic banter (I understood the fashion posing at least but I wish I knew the joke that went with it!).
After Maggie vocalized a drum roll, Andy announced that the winner was Zhang Ziyi. Remarkably this is her first win. She was very tearful and Tony Leung Chiu Wai (my favorite all time Asian movie star) cheered her on.
Tony lost his subsequent category Best Actor but his history with the Golden Horse more than makes up for it. The Best Actor montage included lots of tears, lots of cops, and so much Tony Leung that I lost track. Now I suddenly need to watch Happy Together, In the Mood for Love and Lust Caution again. At least.
The host of this particular event seemed... um... flamboyant... and was wearing a bird on his shoulder.
The Best Picture presentation was preceded by an extremely cool presentation of all the living Best Actor and Best Actress winners. Like a roll call with them all on stage. Our hearts would collectively break (from joy) if the Oscars did this sort of thing again to acknowledge their rich history.
Masters Ang Lee and Hsou Hsien announced best picture explaining that these (juried) awards went through 4 rounds of voting and 2.5 hours of discussion and the winner was a big shock: Singapore's Ilo Ilo.
Ming-Liang Tsai
List of Winners TBA
BEST PICTURE Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo (Singapore's Oscar submission)
The first Best Picture win for Singapore and a debut from its 29 year old director. At this point I'd expect to see it in Oscar's Foreign Nomination List.
BEST DIRECTOR Tsai Ming-Liang, Stray Dogs
BEST ACTRESS Zhang Ziyi, The Grandmaster (Hong Kong's Oscar submission)
BEST ACTOR Lee Kang Sheng, Stray Dogs
NEW DIRECTOR: Anthony Chen, Ilo Ilo
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Ilo Ilo
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: So Young
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Li XueJian, Back to 1942 (China's Oscar submission)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Yeo Yann Yann, Ilo Ilo
NEW ACTOR / ACTRESS: Kuo Shu-Yao, Step Back to Glory
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Grandmaster
COSTUMES: The Grandmaster
ART DIRECTOR: The Grandmaster
VISUALS: The Grandmaster
EDITING: A Touch of Sin
SCORE: A Touch of Sin
SOUND: Soul (Taiwan's Oscar submission)
CHOREOGRAPHY: Jackie Chan, CZ12
ORIGINAL SONG: "I Love You" from Rock Me to the Moon.
Reader Comments (18)
Singapore submission for Oscar Ilo Ilo won a few too, including supporting actress, best original screenplay and best new director.
Andy Lau is super hot, so is Aaron Kuok. Oh my.
Shu-Qi is gorgeous, so is Maggie Cheung.
Perhaps let me help you a bit on the winners.
Director: Tsai Ming-Liang, Stray Dogs (Malaysian, Yeah!)
New Director: Anthony Chen, Ilo Ilo
Original Screenplay: Ilo Ilo
Adapted Screenplay: So Young
Supporting Actor: Li XueJian, Back to 1942 (China's submission for Oscar)
Supporting Actress: Yeo Yann Yann, Ilo Ilo (Malaysian, Yeah!)
Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume, Visual: The Grandmaster
Film Editing, Original Score: A Touch of Sin
Sound: Soul (Taiwan's submission for the Oscar)
Choreography: Jackie Chan, CZ12
Ziyi wins!! BEST ACTRESS for THE GRANDMASTER!
Damn, I was actually rooting for Sammi Cheng (Blind Detective), because comic performance so rarely get awarded, and she basically single-handedly rescue a really bad movie.
PJ - thank you. i updated.
Oops, missed two categories.
NEW ACTOR / ACTRESS: Kuo Shu-Yao, Step Back to Glory
ORIGINAL SONG: I Love You from Rock Me to the Moon. I have never heard of this film, according to Wikipedia it's a documentary so it explains the low profile.
OMG, did I see that right? Ilo Ilo won Best Picture??? It's the only movie to miss out Best Director nomination. But I am so so happy now, it's a good movie nonetheless.
PJ: It missed on the Best Director because Anthony Chen was nominated for Best New Director (which he won). I'm not too surprised by the win, really, because Ilo Ilo is very much the kind of film that is to the taste of Ang Lee (who led the jury).
I feel like I was the only one posting a comment here (beside lastitimeisaw of course), so sorry for spamming, LOL. But one more side note before I call it a night. I think this is so adorable I have to translate this to you.
When the oh-so-cute Anthony Chen won for Best New Director, he said he came to the ceremony without expecting to win. He only wants to shake Ang Lee's hands. And moments later when he won for Best Picture, he said "I finally shake Ang Lee's hands!". Aww... my heart melted that moment.
OK, I'm done commenting here, LOL.
I'm so happy for Zhang Ziyi, she's amazing in GRANDMASTER and she was robbed of a Golden Horse for 2046
Nat, what channel did you see this show live???
A Touch of Sin got the awards it deserved. But goodness, how could that have won Screenplay at Cannes?
Drew, it was a web link that a reader in Germany provided me.
I'm so proud that our local film (Ilo Ilo) won the Best Picture...it's the first time a Singapore production managed to clinch the prize. And it was a thrill watching Maggie Cheung and Lin Chin Hsia on stage. Sigh why isn't Maggie acting anymore?
Just a footnote about the host (Kevin Tsai Kangyong), who is a famous author, TV show host in Taiwan and China. He is probably the most prominent openly (or at least semi-openly) gay public figure among Chinese. He is also well known for that bird-on-shoulder (most often a raven/crow) thingy.
Quite an upset when ILO ILO won the BEST PICTURE, like another ARGO victory, considering it didn't gain a BEST DIRECTOR nomination. Ang Lee told later in the press, it is a tight race between ILO ILO and STRAY DOGS, the former won a key vote over the latter. I am in China, and the internet speed sucks when I was watching the show on live, also A TOUCH OF SIN is officially blocked nationally clearly because it is "too authentic to depict reality", so the Chinese media is relieved when it didn't win big in the ceremony otherwise it would be a wacky dilemma.
Otherwise, Golden Horse is always a bold awards show, for pan-Chinese cinema, for its 50th Anniversary, (the leader of the jury) Ang Lee adhere to its eclectic style and exquisite taste!
About that joke from Maggie and Andy: he first explained that there were no lines given by the awards show organisor. And she said that would be no problem, cause she was told by a well-knowned director that a good actor is not supposed to need any lines, all that counts is their pose. And, there you go.
yeah PJ, I was rooting for Sammi too, but I never thought she would win anyways (she might have a better chance in the HK awards)...looking forward to Ilo Ilo and Stray Dogs...