Golden Horse Awards: Chinese films on COVID-19, same-sex romance take top prizes

Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) A Chinese film set during the COVID-19 pandemic and another about same-sex relationships won top prizes at the 61st Golden Horse Awards on Saturday, while Taiwanese horror comedy "Dead Talents Society" (鬼才之道) took home five awards.

"An Unfinished Film" (一部未完成的電影) won best director and best narrative feature. A Singapore-Germany production, it was directed by Chinese director Lou Ye (婁燁).

It follows a film crew who reunited near Wuhan, China to finally finish a film after production was halted ten years prior, only to find themselves stranded by a lockdown as the COVID-19 pandemic starts to spread.

The movie was put together using documentary footage, online videos from the COVID era, and fragments from Lou's past films.

Lou was also named best director for "An Unfinished Film." His wife Ma Yingli (馬英力), the film's producer, accepted the honor on his behalf and read his prepared statement.

Ma quoted Lou as thanking the cast and crew of the film, his "most unique directing job to date," for their perseverance during challenging times. Thanks to the Golden Horse win, the movie will have an agent in Taiwan and will hit theaters on Dec. 20.

"Bel Ami" (漂亮朋友), a satire about gay and lesbian communities, won best leading actor, best cinematography and best film editing. It was directed by Chinese director Geng Jun (耿軍) and produced in France.

Meanwhile, "Dead Talents Society" bagged best visual effects, best original film song, best action choreography, best makeup and costume design and best art direction.

The battle for best leading actor saw Chinese actor Zhang Zhiyong (張志勇) come out on top with his role as a middle-aged gay man in "Bel Ami", while Hong Kong actress Chung Suet Ying (鍾雪瑩) emerged victorious in the tightly contested best leading actress award category, with her performance in the drama "The Way We Talk" (看我今天怎麼說).

Chiang Wei Liang (曾威量) and Yin You-qiao (尹又巧) were named best new directors for "Mongrel" (白衣蒼狗), a film about the struggles of migrant workers in Taiwan.

Chiang, from Singapore, asked the ceremony's attendees to give his cast a round of applause and thanked the pioneers of the Taiwan New Wave Cinema, whose art "shook him" in Southeast Asia and led him to Taiwan.

Feifei Cheng (鄭又菲) from Taiwan, meanwhile, took home the best new performer award for her role in "BIG" by Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) as a girl who has cancer. The 11-year-old thanked Wei for her first-ever movie role and vowed to keep acting and taking on different types of characters.

Director Huang Xi (黃熙) won best original screenplay with "Daughter's Daughter" (女兒的女兒), a story about a divorced mother who needs to decide what to do with an embryo her recently deceased little daughter left behind.

A lifetime achievement award was presented to 91-year-old cinematographer Lin Wen-chin (林文錦) and posthumously to "queen of martial arts films" Cheng Pei-pei (鄭佩佩). Cheng's four children accepted the honor from Taiwanese director Ang Lee (李安) on her behalf.

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