TV Golden Bell Awards nominees shortlisted

2015/08/28

Nominees for the 50th Television Golden Bell Awards were announced by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development under the Ministry of Culture Aug. 26 in Taipei City.

Hot favorites in the Best TV Series category include soapy “The Way We Were,” navel-gazing “Apple in Your Eye,” fast-paced “Crime Scene Investigation Center/i Hero,” funeral services-set “Long Day’s Journey into Light” and mini-medical “Wake Up.”

Lan Zu-wei, chairman of the Golden Bell jury and film critic, said “The Way We Were” is an outstanding production on the strength of its complete storyline and high artistic and commercial values.

“Hakka Television Station similarly deserves praise for demonstrating the feasibility of broadcasting ‘Long Day’s Journey’ as the script had been doing the rounds of the channels for six years. I urge all TV stations to take a more expansive view when it comes to greenlighting programs with distinct characteristics.”

But it was not all good news on the shortlist front. There were no nominees in the Best New Actor category as the performances of the 16 talents did not meet the criteria for such an award, and it seemed Best Variety Show and Best Variety Show Host were destined for the same fate.

Further discussions, however, resulted in a three-program selection centering on music and pop songs for BVS and four teams for BVSH.

Lan said that at first the jury did not nominate any productions due to concerns over creativity, depth and quality. “The only progress seems to be in technological know-how.

“In addition, the popularity and online presence of the hosts are not among our judging concerns as we reviewed the possibles and probables from a professional perspective.”

Such statements represent a wake-up call for Taiwan’s TV industry. The jury urged local production companies to seek new ways of developing the sector and overcome the constraints of financial support and paucity of entertaining subjects.

Award winners are to be honored Sept. 26 at National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. A special exhibition of historic documents and equipment will also be held as part of the event Sept. 12 to Oct. 11 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=234302&ctNode=413)