Golden Horse Film Festival unveils Audience Award, FIPRESCI Prize winners

Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) The 60th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival announced the winners of two awards, the Audience Choice Award chosen by a selection of viewers, and the FIPRESCI Prize which is awarded by critics.

The Audience Choice Award went to the Hong Kong movie "Time Still Turns the Pages" (年少日記), directed by Nick Cheuk (卓亦謙), while the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Prize went to "Fly Me to the Moon" (但願人長久), directed by Sasha Chuk (祝紫嫣).

"Time Still Turns the Pages" came out on top against four other works shortlisted for the award that was decided by 483 movie fans from Hualien, Hsinchu and Tainan, who were all adults and had to watch all five films in two days before choosing, according to the film festival's website.

Also shortlisted were "Stonewalling" (石門), "Marry My Dead Body" (關於我和鬼變成家人的那件事), "Eye of the Storm" (疫起) and "Snow in Midsummer" (五月雪).

Cheuk, who brought along the hippo doll featured in the movie to the ceremony, said the result exceeded his wildest dreams because of the scope of the serious issues the film tackles, such as managing the everyday pressures of life and a child suffering with sadness, which can be hard for audiences to discuss.

Meanwhile, "Fly Me to the Moon," which tells the story of two sisters from China's Hunan Province trying to adjust to new lives with their parents in Hong Kong, was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize, its second so far at this year's film festival.

It also won the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award on Wednesday.

The movie was up against seven other works, including "Time Still Turns the Pages," "This Woman" (這個女人), and "Love Is a Gun" (愛是一把槍), but in the end won the award based on the decision of Taiwanese film researcher Wang Chun-chi (王君琦), Italian curator Paolo Bertolin and Malaysian film critic Kalash Nanda Kumar, the website wrote.

The FIPRESCI Prize, which aims to promote film-art and young upcoming filmmakers, is awarded at international and other major film festivals. The federation is an international non-governmental organization comprising professional film critics and journalists from around the world.

Chuk mentioned that it was an honor to receive the same award as Hu Bo (胡波), the late director of "An Elephant Sitting Still" (大象席地而坐), referring to her winning the prize as a "dream comes true."