Chan's epic was a frontrunner with twelve nominations this year, securing three including best visual effects. Taiwan blockbuster Cape No. 7, the second most nominated film with recognition in nine categories, only received minor awards including best supporting actor, best score and best original song.
The only other film to win more than one statue at the glamorous awards ceremony was Feng Xiaogang's Chinese war film Assembly which was recognised for Zhang Hanyu's performance in the best actor category and for best adapted screenplay. The film went head-to-head with Warlords on Chinese screens last December.
The nine other key awards were equally shared between nine films directed by Hong Kong and Taiwan directors, including best actress for Prudence Liew's performance in Herman Yau's True Women For Sale, best original screenplay for Tom Lin's Winds Of September and best art direction for Chung Meng-hung's Parking.
The event minimised potential withdrawals from Chinese filmmakers by only nominating co-productions with Hong Kong, avoiding a recurring problem that has plagued recent editions. The only high profile withdrawal was Taiwan-born actor Takeshi Kaneshiro from the Taiwan Filmmaker of the Year category after it emerged that he was a Japanese citizen.
With few glamorous stars nominated this year, glitz was provided by award presenters including Japan's Masanobu Ando and China's Zhou Xun and Vicki Zhao. Taiwan screen legend Brigitte Lin also made a rare appearance to present specific awards for local films and filmmakers together with regular Golden Horse guest Ang Lee.
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