Top artistic talents honored with National Cultural Award

2018/04/30

Taiwan’s highest creative honor, the National Cultural Award, was bestowed upon art critic Hsieh Li-fa and writer-director Wu Nien-jen at a ceremony April 26 in Taipei City.
 
 Hsieh, a celebrated art critic, artist and author, is best known for his works on Taiwan art history during the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945), as well as a novel based on tales of local creative talents in the early 1900s. The latter was adapted in 2016 into popular TV series “La Grande Chaumiere Violette” by Taipei-headquartered Sanlih E-Television Co. Ltd.
 
 Wu, a prolific scriptwriter with more than 70 pieces to his name, cut his teeth in the directorial game 24 years ago with the 1940-50s set autobiographical offering “A Borrowed Life.” Many of his scripts were turned into highly regarded local films such as “A City of Sadness” and “Dust in the Wind” by internationally acclaimed director Hou Hsiao-hsien.
 
 Having won five Golden Horse Awards—widely considered the Chinese-language Oscars—for his screenplays, Wu is also a leading playwright and theater director, as well as a passionate promoter of arts education for children in rural Taiwan.
 
 Premier Lai Ching-te said at the ceremony that the award underscores the government’s commitment to recognizing those making invaluable contributions to Taiwan’s cultural development. All 81 NCA recipients to date share a lifelong dedication to raising awareness of the rich local arts sector, he added.
 
 Culture is one of Taiwan’s core foundations, Lai said, adding that the government is advancing development of the local cultural and creative industry through a range of measures like increased funding, progressive policymaking and regulatory reform.
 
 Established in 1981, the NCA is organized by the Cabinet and Ministry of Culture. This year’s winners each received a certificate, medallion and NT$1 million (US$33,658) in prize money.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=18&post=133414)