Hou’s ‘The Assassin’ tops Golden Horse Awards

2015/11/24

“The Assassin” by renowned Taiwan filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien was the biggest winner at the 52nd Golden Horse Awards Nov. 21 in Taipei City, walking away with five major honors including best director and best feature film at the most important Chinese-language movie event of the year.

Set in Tang dynasty (618-907) China, the martial arts epic follows the exploits of a female assassin struggling with her conscience. The film also picked up Golden Horse accolades for its cinematography, makeup and costume design, and sound effects.

The win capped off a fruitful year for “The Assassin,” which earned Hou the best director award at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival in May. Hou attributed the success to his longtime film crew, and said he will continue to pursue advances in cinema.

“Filmmaking is a lifelong passion as well as a dream come true for me,” Hou said when accepting the honor for Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year. “I have devoted my life to this profession, and I want to continue making movies for the rest of my life. The only thing that matters for a director is being able to create films.”

In addition to “The Assassin,” several Taiwan movies claimed major honors at the ceremony. Karena Lam picked up best actress, her third Golden Horse award, for playing a woman struggling to deal with the pain of losing a loved one in “Zinnia Flower.”

“Thanatos, Drunk,” another local work dealing with the issues of grief and loss by Taiwan auteur Chang Tso-chi, was the second biggest winner of the night. From its 10 nominations, the film gained best supporting actress for Lu Hsueh-feng, best new performer for Lee Hong-chi, as well as best original score and best editing.

Other winning performers included mainland China’s Feng Xiaogang, who received the best actor accolade for his portrayal of an aging hooligan in the action comedy “Mr. Six,” and Hong Kong’s Michael Ning, who was named best supporting actor for his performance in the crime flick “Port of Call.”

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to legendary actress and singer Lee Li-hua, who starred in approximately 130 films during a career spanning four decades. The honor is a tribute to her iconic work in the fields of film and music, according to the awards organizer.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=239225&ctNode=2194&mp=9)