Cheng Pei-pei, Lin Wen-chin to receive Golden Horse lifetime awards

Taipei, Aug. 29 (CNA) Actress Cheng Pei-pei (鄭佩佩) and cinematographer Lin Wen-chin (林文錦) will be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards by the 2024 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, the executive committee announced Thursday.

The announcement was made via a press statement, in which the children of the late actress, who died at the age of 78 on July 17 in the United States, and Lin expressed their joy and gratitude for the recognition.

"All of us have always taken pride in mom and what she had achieved in her career. We feel honored that her achievements are recognized by the Golden Horse Awards," Cheng's children were quoted as saying.

Similarly, Lin said: "I thank the Golden Horse executive committee for its commendation and am especially grateful for the support from fellow filmmakers over the decades."

Born in 1946, Cheng began her career in the mid-1960s, making her cinematic debut in "Da Ji" (妲己) in 1964.

She "established her on-screen persona as a swordswoman" with her rendition of Golden Swallow in King Hu's (胡金銓) "Come Drink with Me" (大醉俠) in 1966, a monumental work in the history of Hong Kong's martial arts cinema, and was later popularly known as the "queen of martial arts films" for her performances in that genre, the committee noted.

Cheng briefly left the big screen for around three years after marrying Yuan Wen-tung (原文通), a U.S.-based Taiwanese businessman, whom she divorced in 1987.

During her illustrious career of six decades, Cheng starred in over 110 movies and more than 50 TV series. Her most recent film role was as a matchmaker in Disney's 2020 live-action remake "Mulan" (花木蘭).

However, to younger fans in the Mandarin-speaking world, she is vividly remembered for her portrayal of Madam Wah (華夫人) in the comedy "Flirting Scholar" (唐伯虎點秋香) in 1993, starring Stephen Chow (周星馳) and Gong Li (鞏俐).

Her career peaked in 2000 with her role as Jade Fox (碧眼狐狸) in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (臥虎藏龍) directed by Ang Lee (李安), which won her Best Supporting Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Off screen, the committee noted, Cheng was also dedicated to preserving Taiwanese cinematic assets, highlighted by her collaboration with Shih Chun (石雋), a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient of the 2012 Golden Horse Awards, in collecting items related to the life of director Hu.

Meanwhile, Lin, 91, is part of the first generation of cinema professionals in Taiwan nurtured by C.M.P.C. Studios and a significant figure in cinematography who experienced the peak of Taiwanese-language cinema and Healthy Realism, the statement said.

Lin collaborated with multiple directors and pushed Taiwanese cinematography to new heights in films directed by Ting Shan-hsi (丁善璽), such as "The Everlasting Glory" (英烈千秋), "Eight Hundred Heroes" (八百壯士) and "The Battle for the Republic of China" (辛亥雙十).

Devoted to the industry for almost 50 years, Lin participated in the making of nearly 200 films, not only as a cinematographer but also as a director and head of cinematic and technical departments.

He won Best Color Cinematography at the 1967 Golden Horse Awards for his work on "Orchids and My Love" (我女若蘭) and was nominated twice for Best Cinematography with "The Diary of Di-Di" (蒂蒂日記) and "The Pioneers" (源).

His autobiography, published in 2020 and titled "A Life Behind the Camera: The Dream of a Village Boy" (掌鏡人生：一個田庄囝仔的夢) serves as a record of the Taiwanese film industry's development from the 1950s to the 1980s.

In honor of the two, the film festival is set to screen "Come Drink with Me," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hong Kong Nocturne" (香江花月夜), which feature Cheng, as well as "Orchids and My Love," which Lin filmed.

Also on Thursday, the committee announced that from 2025, submissions to short film categories must be no longer than 40 minutes in length.