The Falls_dir by Chung Mong-Hong

Source: Cream Film

‘The Falls’

Chung Mong-hong’s The Falls won best narrative feature and three other prizes at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards on Saturday night (November 27), while Kiwi Chow’s Revolution Of Our Times took best documentary feature.

Selected as Taiwan’s submission for best international feature at the Oscars, The Falls also won awards for best leading actress (Alyssa Chia), best original screenplay (Chung and Chang Yaosheng) and best original score (Lu Luming). The film received its world premiere at this year’s Venice film festival.

Revolution Of Our Times, filmed during the protest movement in Hong Kong in 2019, was a surprise last-minute entry at this year’s Cannes film festival. Following the introduction of the National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020, the film is unlikely to ever receive an official screening in Hong Kong.

Fiona Roan Feng-I’s debut feature American Girl was another big winner at the Golden Horse Awards, picking up five prizes including best new director and best new performer (Caitlin Fang). The film, about a Taiwanese-American teenager who moves to Taipei during the SARS epidemic, also took best cinematography, the FIPRESCI prize and the audience choice award.

Clara Law was awarded with best director for Drifting Petals, described as a part-memoir, part-travelogue spanning Australia, Macau and Hong Kong, while Chang Chen was awarded with best actor for Cheng Wei-hao’s The Soul, which also took best art direction and best film editing. Best supporting actor went to Lee Kuan-ting for Treat Or Trick, while best supporting actress was presented to Wang Yu-xuan for Goddamned Asura (see full list of winners below).

GOLDEN HORSE AWARDS 2021:

Best narrative feature: The Falls, dir: Ching Mong-hong

Best documentary feature: Revolution Of Our Times, dir: Kiwi Chow, Hongkongers

Best director: Clara Law, Drifting Petals

Best leading actor: Chang Chen, The Soul

Best leading actress: Alyssa Chia, The Falls

Best supporting actor: Liu Kuan-ting, Treat Or Trick

Best supporting actress: W ang Yu-xuan, Goddamned Asura

Best original screenplay: Chung Mong-hong and Chang Yaosheng, The Falls

Best adapted screenplay: Jun Li, Drifting

Best new director: Fiona Roan Feng-I, American Girl

Best new performer: Caitlin Fang, American Girl

Best documentary short film: In Their Teens, dir: Lin Yu-en

Best live action short film: Good Day, dir: Zhang Zhi-teng

Best animated short film: The Magical Tracing, dir: Wu De-chuen

Best cinematography: Giorgos Valsamis, American Girl

Best visual effects: ArChin Yen, Till We Meet Again

Best art direction: Huang Mei-Chin, Liang Shuo-lin and Liao Huei-li, The Soul

Best make-up & costume design: Singing Lin, Hsiao Pai-chen and Liu Hsien-chia, Till We Meet Again

Best action cinematography: Chan Man-fai, Chu Ke-feng and Feng Ren-zhi, Nezha

Best original film score: Lu Luming, The Falls

Best original song: I Missed You, composed, written & performed by Eve Ai

Best film editing: Shieh Meng-ju, The Soul

Best sound effects: R.T. Kao and Chu Shih-yi, Till We Meet Again

Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year: Frank Chen

Audience Choice Award: American Girl

FIPRESCI Prize: American Girl

Lifetime Achievement Awards: Lin Tsan-ting and Tsai Yang-ming