49th Golden Horse Awards Nominations

A while back the Golden Horse Film Academy announced the nominations that came from a total of 213 entries, including 122 feature films, 67 short films, 20 documentary films and four animated features.

Both Yang Ya Che's Gf * Bf and Lou Ye's Mystery lead with seven nominations each closely followed by Johnny To's Life Without Principle and Guan Hu's Design of Death with six nominations each.

These are the nominees for some categories.

Best Feature Film
神探亨特張 Beijing Blues, Gao Qunshu, China
浮城謎事 Mystery, Lou Ye, China and France
奪命金 Dyut meng gam (Life Without Principle), Johnnie To, Hong Kong
女朋友。男朋友 Gf * Bf (Girlfriend Boyfriend), Yang Ya Che, Taiwan
消失的子彈 Xiao shi de zi dan (The Bullet Vanishes), Lo Chi Leung, Hong Kong and China

Best Director
Gao Qunshu for Beijing Blues
Lou Ye for Mystery
Johnnie To for Life Without Principle
Yang Ya Che for Gf * Bf
Doze Niu Chen-Zer for 愛 Love

Best New Director
Yang Yi-Chen and Jim Wang for Cha Cha for Twins, Taiwan
Fung Kai for Din Tao: Leader of the Parade, Taiwan
Hero Lin for Silent Code, Taiwan
Tsai Yueh Hsun for Black & White: The Dawn of Assault, Taiwan and China
Chang Jung-Chi for Touch of the Light, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China

Best Leading Actress
Bai Baihe in Love Is Not Blind
Hao Lei in Mystery
Denise Ho in Life Without Principle
Gwei Lun-Mei in Gf * Bf
Sandrine Pinna in Touch of the Light

Best Leading Actor
Nick Cheung in Nightfall
Lau Ching Wan in Life Without Principle
Joseph Chang in Gf * Bf
Chaman To in Vulgaria
Nicholas Tse in The Viral Factor

Best Documentary
China Heavyweight, Yung Chang, China
Hand in Hand, Juang Yi-tzeng and Yen Lan-chuan, Taiwan
Money and Honey, Jasmmine Lee Ching-hui, Taiwan
Voyage in Time, Chou Tung-Yen, Taiwan

Best Short Film
6th March, Wong Chun, Hong Kong, 32'
My Graduation Travel, Hung Po-Hao, Taiwan, 30'
The Home Gleaners, Zhang siqing, China, 32'
The Present, Hsieh Weng-Ming, 16'

The Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year
Chen Po-Wen
Liao Su Jen
Jimmy Huang
Huang Yu-Siang

Lifetime Achievement Award: Shih Chun

This year there were no nominees in the Best Animation Film category as none of the four films qualified. To check nominees in all categories plus info and trailers (all films have trailers, many with English subtitles) for each nominated film go here.

Most interesting is to notice that Hong Kong and Taiwan submissions to Oscar have been honored with nominations but China's submission is not. From the five films nominated for Best Feature Film no doubt that 2012 Cannes Un Certain Regard Mystery is must be seen for me; also because I enjoy Sandrine Pinna's performances think will give a try to Touch of the Light but know that story could be too melodramatic for my taste.

The judging process consists of three phases. The first round was overseen by film critics and scholars from Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong: including Tan Tang-Mo, Li Yongquan, Liang Liang, Thomas Shin, and Wei Xidi. The second round was reviewed by outstanding filmmakers still active in this field, mostly past Golden Horse winners or nominees, such as Kong Jinlei (editor), Jack Shi (animation director), Wu Mi-Sen (director), Lin Yu-Hsien (director), Lin Jong (cinematographer), Lim Giong (musician / actor), Chen Yi-Wen (director/actor), Chen Ru-Shou (film scholar), Shirley Chan Ku Fang (makeup and costume designer), and Lu Yi-Ching (actress); they spent a month watching all the brilliant Chinese-language films made in the past year, from which they elected this year's finalists. In the final round, the judging panel will be joined by the two-time Best Leading Actor winner Andy Lau, as well as renowned writer Chang Ta-Chun, veteran actor/director Liang Hsiu-Shen, and the equally talented Jiang Wenli. Serving as the chairman of this year's jury, Andy Lau said that it was a great honor to take on such a task and he was looking forward to watching the nominated films and discussing with his colleagues. He also congratulated all the nominees of the 2012 Golden Horse Awards.

The 49th Golden Horse Awards ceremony will be held on November 24 in Luodong Cultural Working House, Yilan County and will be broadcast live exclusively on TTV. At present it is confirmed that the ceremony will be broadcast to Canada, the United States, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Macau.