Golden Horse Awards: Hsiao Ya-chuan wins best director for 'OLD FOX'

Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) Taiwanese filmmaker Hsiao Ya-chuan (蕭雅全) was honored with the best director award at the Golden Horse Awards ceremony on Saturday evening for his latest feature film "OLD FOX" (老狐狸).

Shortly after receiving his first Golden Horse Award, the 55-year-old director expressed gratitude to his cast and crew, noting that "were it not for their hard work, I as a director would have been invisible [to the audience]."

Without their efforts, a director's talent and ideas would not be seen, he added.

Hsiao also thanked renowned director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) for being the producer of "OLD FOX" and his previous three feature movies, adding that Hou's involvements had motivated him to do his utmost.

Hsiao, known for capturing the complex relationships and nuanced emotions of ordinary people in Taiwan, was praised by the jury for his "distinctive and delicate" storytelling skills.

Through the director's lens, "OLD FOX" gave a "genuine portrayal of nobodies in a volatile society," the jury added.

The film tells the story of a young single father and his son leading a frugal life to save for a house of their own, but persistent financial hardship and an encounter with a selfish landlord gradually push the family to take a different path.

Hsiao also received the best director award at the 2018 Taipei Film Festival for "Father to Son" (范保德).

Other directors also nominated were Chinese-Japanese directing duo Huang Ji (黃驥) and Ryuji Otsuka for their second collaboration "Stonewalling" (石門) and Malaysian filmmaker Chong Keat Aun (張吉安) for "Snow in Midsummer" (五月雪).

In addition, Taiwanese director Cheng Wei-hao (程偉豪) and Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Ching-po (黃精甫) were nominated for their supernatural comedy "Marry My Dead Body" (關於我和鬼變成家人的那件事) and action/crime movie "The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon" (周處除三害), respectively.

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