Also competing for the top prize and in multiple categories are Zhang Yang's Getting Home, Tony Ayres' The Home Song Stories, Wang Quanan's Tuya's Marriage and Doze Niu's What On Earth Have I Done Wrong'! Unusually, no Hong Kong film has been nominated for Best Feature Film.
Ayres' Australia-Singapore co-production The Home Song Stories secured seven nominations, the second highest among the 73 films submitted last month. The film's use of Cantonese and Mandarin dialects made it eligible to compete at one of the region's most prestigious award ceremonies for Chinese-language cinema.
The awards have been widely criticised for its greater focus on mainland Chinese cinema. Regulars Jay Chou, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau have already stated that they will not attend this year.
Noticeably absent from the nomination list is Chang Tso-chi's Soul Of A Demon (formerly known as Butterfly). Chang's last film, The Best Of Times, won the top prize at the awards in 2002. Chang has told local press that he may withdraw the film from its opening slot at the affiliated Golden Horse Film Festival.
The decisions of the jury are particularly controversial this year as organisers have refused to name its twenty-plus members so as to prevent lobbying. The event had been painstakingly transparent in recent years so as to deter any accusations of corruption, an issue that had plagued the awards during its early years.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Taipei Arena on Dec 8. The Golden Horse Film Festival will close on the same evening with a special screening of Edward Yang's A One And A Two. The recently deceased filmmaker will also be honored with the ceremony's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Award Nominations in Full:
Best Feature Film
Getting Home (dir: Zhang Yang)
The Home Song Stories (dir: Tony Ayres)
Lust, Caution (dir: Ang Lee)
Tuya's Marriage (dir: Wang Quanan)
What on Earth Have I Done Wrong'! (dir: Doze Niu)
Best Director
Ang Lee (Lust, Caution)
Li Yang (Blind Mountain)
Wang Quanan (Tuya's Marriage)
Yau Nai-hoi (Eye In The Sky)
Best Leading Actor
Aaron Kwok (The Detective)
Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Lust, Caution)
Gurmit Singh (Just Follow Law)
Zhao Benshan (Getting Home)
Best Leading Actress
Joan Chen (The Home Song Stories)
Li Bingbing (The Knot)
Tang Wei (Lust, Caution)
Yu Nan (Tuya's Marriage)
Best Supporting Actor
Louis Koo (Protege)
Tony Leung Ka-fai (The Drummer)
Joel Lok (The Home Song Stories)
Wu Jing (Invisible Target)
Best Supporting Actress
Chang Chun-ning (What On Earth Have I Done Wrong'!)
Fan Bingbing (The Matrimony)
Maggie Siu (Eye In The Sky)
Alice Tzeng (Secret)
Best New Performer
Enno (Summer's Tail)
Joel Lok (The Home Song Stories)
Eddie Peng (My DNA Says I Love You)
Tang Wei (Lust, Caution)
Best Original Screenplay
Tony Ayres (The Home Song Stories)
Singing Chen, Lou Yi-an (God Man Dog)
Bon Sek Yieng & Tan Wei Lyn (Just Follow Law)
Lu Wei (Tuya's Marriage)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Jacob Cheung (A Battle Of Wits)
Izo Hashimoto & Szeto Kam-yuen (Shamo)
Shu Ping, Jiang Wen & Guo Shixing (The Sun Also Rises)
Wang Hui-ling & James Schamus (Lust, Caution)
Best Cinematography
Edmond Fung (Shamo)
Mark Lee (The Matrimony)
Rodrigo Prieto (Lust, Caution)
Yang Wei-han (The Most Distant Course)
Best Visual Effects
BULKY Animation Studio, Studio 2 (The Wall-Passer)
Stephen Ma (Twins Mission)
Wong Wang-tat, Wong Wang-hin & Cheung Yiu-ming, Donnie Lai (Secret)
Michael Yeoh (Just Follow Law)
Best Art Direction
Melinda Doring (The Home Song Stories)
Max Huang (God Man Dog)
Pan Lai (Lust, Caution)
Anuson Pinyopotjanee (The Detective)
Best Makeup & Costume Design
Moe Kasim & Dollei Seah (881)
Pan Lai (Lust, Caution)
Doris Song (Road To Dawn)
Kirsten Veysey & Cappi Ireland (The Home Song Stories)
Best Action Choreography
Lee Chung Chi (Invisible Target)
Stephen Tung (A Battle of Wits)
Wong Wai-leung (Shamo)
Donnie Yen (Flash Point)
Best Original Film Score
Anthony Chue (Invisible Target)
Alexandre Desplat (Lust, Caution)
Terdsak Janpan & Jay Chou (Secret)
Guy Zerafa (Eye In The Sky)
Best Original Film Song
Blood Brothers (Blood Brothers)
Jasmine (Spider Lilies)
Little Love Song (Exit No.6)
Secret (Secret)
Best Film Editing
Singing Chen (God Man Dog)
David Richardson (Eye In The Sky)
Tim Squyres (Lust, Caution)
Zhang Yifan & Jiang Wen (The Sun Also Rises)
Best Sound Effect
Steve Burgess & He Wei (A Battle of Wits)
Kinson Tsang (Confession of Pain)
Soundfirm Beijing (Flash Point)
Tu Duu-chih, Kuo Li-chi, Tang Hsiang-chu (The Most Distant Course)
Best Short Film
Father's Finger (dir: Yang Shih-yi)
Fly Out Blue (dir: Jack Shih)
Summer of Magic (dir: Wang Cheng-yang)
Temptation (dir: Yeh Chia-Hsi)
Best Documentary
Exotic Exoticism: Plant Wars (dir: Asio Liu)
Hollywood Chinese (dir: Arthur Dong)
Best Animation
No nominations
Formoz Film Award
The Drummer (dir: Kenneth Bi)
Secret (dir: Jay Chou)
What On Earth Have I Done Wrong'! (dir: Doze Niu)
Formoz Filmmaker Award
Jay Chou (Secret)
Ang Lee (Lust, Caution)
Doze Niu (What On Earth Have I Done Wrong'!)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Edward Yang
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