49th Golden Horse Awards Winners

After a long four hours award ceremony finally winners are known and two movies tie with three (3) awards each to become the top winners this year, Beijing Blues and Life Without Principle, can help but to notice that the second is the Hong Kong submission to 2013 Oscar. As some Taiwanese bloggers/twitters say, "Mainland China cinema is the ultimate winner" in these Taiwan awards where most top awards winners come also from the Mainland.

Among the honored Taiwanese films we find Touch of the Light which is Taiwan's submission to 2013 Oscar. Notorious is the absence of China's submission to Oscar and I'm not clear about the reason why film was not considered, maybe due to release date (?!).

These are the award winners

Best Feature Film: 神探亨特張 Beijing Blues, Gao Qunshu, China

The winner of the Best Director award at the 2012 Shanghai fest, also known as "Detective Hunter Zhang", is a "humours Chinese police procedural" based on the real-life story of renowned detective Zhang Huiling that received awards for his excellent work in catching thousands of thieves. But seems than more the story it tells, is how director chose to tell it what is bringing praise to movie. The more I read about movie the more interested in watching I become as seems will be an "unglamorous" voyage into contemporary Beijing, a Beijing reserved to his inhabitants. Great.  Movie is not in black and white but I liked this photo better than all I saw.

Synopsis: Each day Beijing police detective Zhang Huiling patrols the Shuangyushu neighborhood of the Haidian. He and his colleagues are kept busy by thieves, con artists and illegal hawkers from all over China. Zhang is good at his job, but with every crime, every arrest and every ounce of mercy he can muster, he fights the endless battle with his soul.

Best Director: Johnnie To for 奪命金 Duo Mingjin (Life Without Principle), Hong Kong
Best New Director: Chang Jung-Chi for 逆光飛翔 Touch of the Light, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China

Best Leading Actress: Gwei Lun-Mei in 女朋友。男朋友 Gf * Bf (Girlfriend Boyfriend), Yang Ya Che, Taiwan
Best Leading Actor: Lau Ching Wan in 奪命金 Duo Mingjin (Life Without Principle), Johnnie To, Hong Kong

Best Documentary: 千錘百煉 China Heavyweight, Yung Chang, China
Best Short Film: 拾荒少年 The Home Gleaners, Zhang siqing, China

The Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year: Huang Yu-Siang
Lifetime Achievement Award: Shih Chun

FIPRESCI Prize: 逆光飛翔 Touch of the Light, Chang Jung-Chi, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China

To check winners in all categories plus info for each film go here.