Taipei, Nov 22, 2020 – Two Hong Kong films that cast an uncomfortable spotlight on China won accolades at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards on Saturday, as the island staged its largest film festival after successfully containing the coronavirus.
While many film festivals have been forced largely online or cancelled by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Golden Horse Awards – dubbed the Chinese-language “Oscars” – went ahead in Taiwan which has seen just 611 infections and seven deaths.
US-based Oscar-winning director Ang Lee and Chinese American actress Bai Ling, dressed in a red gown with a long train reading “Love Peace,” were among the legion of entertainers who walked down the red carpet ahead of the ceremony in Taipei’s Sun Yat-sen memorial hall.
Chinese cinematic talents used to dominate the Golden Horse nominations but the festival has fallen victim to the deteriorating relations between Beijing and Taipei.