Taiwanese horror comedy leads Golden Horse nominations

Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) Taiwanese horror comedy "Dead Talents Society" (鬼才之道) led the nominations for the 61st Golden Horse Awards with 11 nominations, including for Best Narrative Feature film.

"In 'Dead Talents Society,' we see Director John Hsu (徐漢強) take what started out as run-of-the-mill supernatural horror to the realm of comedy," said Wen Tien-hsiang (聞天祥), chief executive officer of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee, at a news conference in Taipei on Thursday to announce shortlisted productions for the award ceremony.

"When we think that comedy is the film's only flavor, you couldn't help but shed a tear along the way," Wen added.

The "changing and mixing of genres" was one of the reasons why many jurors thought highly of the film, Wen noted.

In addition to the Best Narrative Feature category, the film has also been nominated for Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup & Costume Design, Best Action Choreography, Best Sound Effects, Best Original Film Score, and Best Original Film Song.

Coming in second is "Yen and Ai-Lee" (小雁與吳愛麗) by director Lin Shu-yu (林書宇), which received eight nods, including for Best Original Screenplay, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor.

It is tied with "Bel Ami" (漂亮朋友) by Chinese director Geng Jun (耿軍), which was nominated for Best Narrative Feature, Best Director, Best Leading Actor, and Best Original Screenplay.

In the high-profile Best Leading Actor category, Golden Horse Best Leading Actor winner Chang Chen (張震), nominated for his role in "The Embers" (餘燼), is competing with King Jieh-wen (喜翔) in "A Journey in Spring" (春行), Yau Hawk-sau (游學修) in "The Way We Talk" (看我今天怎麼說), Wanlop Rungkumjad in "Mongrel" (白衣蒼狗), and Zhang Zhiyong (張志勇) in "Bel Ami."

Meanwhile, four-time Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉) is eyeing her fourth Best Leading Actress trophy with her performance in "Daughter's Daughter" (女兒的女兒) but faces stiff competition with Patra Au (歐嘉雯) in "All Shall Be Well" (從今以後), Kimi Hsia (夏于喬) in "Yen and Ai-Lee", Chung Suet-ying (鍾雪瑩) in "The Way We Talk"), and Sandra Ng (吳君如) in "Love Lies" (我談的那場戀愛).

At Thursday's news conference, Wen also announced that the Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year Award will be given to veteran scenic artist Li Si-jian (李錫堅), who has been nominated for his work in "BIG" by director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖).

"Li has been in the business for over half a century and is still as meticulous about his craft as ever despite being in his 70s, all the while showing a modest and amiable demeanor," Wen said, adding that the jury unanimously agreed to confer the honor upon Li.

This year's Golden Horse Awards received a record-high 718 submissions from Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. The award ceremony will be held on Nov. 23 at the Taipei Music Center.

Launched in 1962, the Golden Horse Awards is seen as a top film award in the Chinese-speaking world.