MCLC: Taiwan calls for scrapping Golden Horse awards

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Jacqueline Winter (dujuan99 at gmail.com)
Subject: Taiwan calls for scrapping Golden Horse awards
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Source: South China Morning Post (11/28/12):
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1092513/taiwan-calls-film-awards-be-
scrapped-after-poor-haul

Taiwan calls for film awards to be scrapped after poor haul
By Lawrence Chung in Taipei

Taiwan's failure to win more awards at the Taipei Golden Horse Film
Festival has triggered debate on the island, including among lawmakers,
about whether the half-century-old regional gala should be stopped.

Hong Kong and mainland films dominated the 49th annual awards show -
considered the Chinese-language Oscars - on Saturday. Of the 23 awards,
Four went to Taiwan, including best new director and best actress.

Among the non-Taiwanese winners, Hong Kong's Johnnie To Kei-fung won best
director for Life Without Principle, and Sean Lau Ching-wan was named best
actor for his role in the same movie. The mainland's Liang Jing won best
supporting actress for Design of Death, and mainland production Beijing
Blues was awarded best picture.

Local media described it as the island's worst setback at the event in 20
years, and frustrated Taiwanese film lovers have lashed out at the panel of
judges, questioning their fairness.

Taiwan's showing was so poor that some opposition lawmakers from the
Democratic Progressive Party have called for the event to be scrapped.

"The original purpose of the Golden Horse Awards was to encourage
development of the local film industry, but now the local film industry is
losing its uniqueness," DPP lawmaker Kuan Bi-ling told the legislature.

She said the festival should be terminated to give way to a new awards
system to spur the development of the local film industry.

Some Democratic Progressive Party legislators also alleged that the
Ministry of Culture - headed by Lung Ying-tai, who worked in Hong Kong for
seven years - was not doing enough for the film industry.

However, some Taiwanese movie directors and producers defended the awards.

"Do they want to throw away a cash cow?" said acclaimed director Hou
Hsiao-hsien, adding that the Golden Horse awards were the highest-rated and
fairest in the Chinese-speaking world.

Lung called for critics to be open-minded, saying there were winners and
losers in every competition. She pointed to the Venice festival, where
Italians did not complain if awards went to foreigners. To encourage local
movies, she said, the public should watch more domestic films.