Warriors and Bullets lead Golden Horse nominations

Jiang Wen’s Let the Bullets Fly clinched nine nominations, including Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress. 

Zhang Meng, another mainland filmmaker, saw his The Piano in a Factory nominated in the seven categories. From Hong Kong, strong contenders are Ann Hui’s A Simple Life and Peter Ho-sun Chan’s Wu Xia, each nominated in six categories. 

Strong contenders also include two Taiwanese summer hits Jump Ashin! and You Are the Apple of My Eye.

The 48th installment of the Chinese-language film awards sees a battle between the growing numbers of Taiwanese films and Hong Kong-China co-produced films.  Among the 27 films nominated, 14 are Hong Kong-China co-produced films; 11 are backed by Taiwanese companies and 3 are pure Hong Kong films.

Deanie Yip, who was honored with a Best Actress Award in Venice last month, adds a Best Actress nomination to her already remarkable record in the Golden Horse Awards: twice the Best Supporting Actress winner.  Two past Golden Horse winners, Qin Hailu and Shu Qi, are once again Best Actress hopefuls this year with their performances in The Piano in a Factory and A Beautiful Life, respectively. Michelle Chen’s charismatic interpretation in box-office hit You Are the Apple of My Eye won her a nomination in the Best Actress category, too.

Andy Lau, who once claimed the Best Actor award with Infernal Affairs III, is nominated this year for his role of the young master in A Simple Life. Mainland actor Wang Qianyuan, who won best actor title at Tokyo International Film Festival, is nominated for his portrayal of a father who comes up with outlandish means to win his daughter’s custody in The Piano in a Factory. Cannes Best Actor winner Ge You has also got a nod for his facile interpretation of a cunning man vying for survival amid difficult situations. Facing stiff competition from these renowned actors, Taiwanese Eddie Peng is recognized for his portrayal of a legendary gymnastic athlete in Jump Ashin!.

The Best New Performer category this year will be a gentlemen’s competition between Ko Chen-Tung of You Are the Apple of My Eye and three from Seediq Bale: Lin Ching-tai, Lin Yuan-Jie, and Bokeh Kosang. In the category of the second ever Best New Director award, it’s a competition among Giddens Ko (You Are the Apple of My Eye) and three new Chinese directors: Wuershan (The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman), Xu Haofeng (The Sword Identity), and Du Jiayi (Kora).

The judging panel of the nominated films consists of nine jury members including Taiwanese animation director Shih Chang-Jay, Hong Kong director Pang Ho-Cheung and film editor Chen Sheng-Chang.  These professionals will be joined by the more jury members at the second stage to select the award winners. They include Korean director Lee Chang-Dong, filmmaker Sylvia Chang, mainland actor and Golden Horse Award winner Huang Bo, Hong Kong theater director Edward Lam, and famed illustrator Jimmy Liao. The 48th Golden Horse Awards Ceremony will be held on Nov 26 in Taiwan’s Hsinchu City.  The ceremony will be broadcast live worldwide with confirmed broadcasting locations include US, Canada, mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Macau.

Golden Horse nominations 2011

Best Feature Film
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Let the Bullets Fly
A Simple Life
Return Ticket
The Piano in a Factory

Best Director
Wei Te-sheng — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Jiang Wen — Let the Bullets Fly
Ann Hui — A Simple Life
Zhang Meng — The Piano in a Factory

Best New Director
Wuershan – The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman
Giddens Ko – You are the Apple of My Eye
Xu Haofeng – The Sword Identity
Du Jiayi — Kora

Best Leading Actor
Eddie Peng – Jump! Ashin
Ge You — Let the Bullets Fly
Andy Lau – A Simple Life
Wang Qianyuan — The Piano in a Factory

Best Leading Actress
Michelle Chen –You are the Apple of My Eye
Shu Qi – A Beautiful Life
Deanie Ip – A Simple Life
Qin Hailu — The Piano in a Factory

Best Supporting Actor
Lawrence Ko – Jump! Ashin
Lau Wing – Revenge a Love Story
Boken Kosang — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Jimmy Wang Yu – Wu Xia

Best Supporting Actress
Kara Hui – A Chinese Ghost Story
Jiang Wenli – Love for Life
Carina Lau – Let the Bullets Fly
Tang Qun – Return Ticket

Best New Performer
Chen-tung Ko – You are the Apple of My Eye
Lin Ching-tai — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Boken Kosang — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Lin Yuan-jie — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale

Best Original Screenplay
Yu-Hsien Lin, Kuo-Kuang Wang, Wang Li-Wen — Jump! Ashin
Susan Chan — A Simple Life
Yang Nan-Chian, Teng Yung Shing, Qin Hai Lu, Ge Wen-Zhe, Xi Ran — Return Ticket
Zhang Meng – The Piano in a Factory

Best Adapted Screenplay
Hang Jiajia, Tang Que, Ma Luoshan, Wuershan — The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman
Zhu Sujin, Shu Ping, Jiang Wen, Guo Junli, Wei Xiao, Li Bukong – Let the Bullets Fly
Xu Haofeng – The Sword Identity
Chang Chia-lu, Cheng Hsiao-tse — Kora

Best Cinematography
Yao Hung-I – Hometown Boy
Chin Ting-chang — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Zhao Fei — Let the Bullets Fly
Shu Chou — The Piano in a Factory

Best Visual Effects
Jung Hoon Lim, TaeJung Han, HyunSug Suh, Zenith Seo
Victor Wong — Let the Bullets Fly
Ryu Hee Jung (Next Visual Studio), Eddy Wong, Law Wai Ho – The Sorcerer and the White Snake
Yung Kwok Yin, Andy Kang – Wu Xia

Best Art Direction
Hao Yi — The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman
Silver Cheung – Bruce Lee, My Brother
Taneda Yohei — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Yee Chung-man – Wu Xia

Best Makeup & Costume Design
Hao Yi — The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman
Chiu Row-long, Amanda Deng, Lin Xin-yi, Tu Mei-ling — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
William Chang — Let the Bullets Fly
Dora Ng – Wu Xia

Best Action Choreography
Chin Ka Lok –Bruce Lee, My Brother
Yang Kil Yong, Shim Jae Won — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Dion Lam — Overheard 2
Donnie Yen — Wu Xia

Best Original Film Score
Baby-C, Kay Huang –The Long Goodbye
Owen Wang — Jump! Ashin
Ricky Ho — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Oh Young-mook — The Piano in a Factory

Best Original Film Song
Abba
Jump! Ashin
You Are the Apple of My Eye
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale

Best Film Editing
Hsiao-Tung Chen — The Man Behind the Book
Azrael Chung, Shirley Yip — Bruce Lee, My Brother
Kong Chi Leung, Manda Wai — A Simple Life
Curran Pang — Overheard 2

Best Sound Effects
Tu Duu-Chih — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Wu Ling — Let the Bullets Fly
Kinson Tsang — Overheard 2
Nopawat Likitwong, Traithep Wongpaiboon — Wu Xia

Best Short Film
Thief — Jay Chen
The Outsider — Youth Film Studio
Meeting of the Half Moons — Hong Kong Arts Development Council, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Horse with No Nam — Chen Nien Ko

Best Documentary

The Man Behind the Book — Fisfisa Media

Hometown Boy — 3H Productions

Young at Heart: Grandma Cheerleaders — Backstage Studio