TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Veteran Taiwanese actress Chen Shu-fang (陳淑芳) won best leading actress and best supporting actress at the Golden Horse Awards on Saturday (Nov. 21).
According to the 57th edition of the Golden Horse Award committee, it was the 81-year-old actress' first nomination in a performing career of over 60 years. To everyone's surprise, she won two major awards.
Chen won best leading actress for the family film "Little Big Women" (孤味), in which she plays a mother of three daughters, who has to deal with her runaway husband's funeral, along with his secret lover.
For the best supporting actress award, Chen got the nod for the film "Dear Tenant" (親愛的房客). The lead actor in the movie, Taiwan's Mo Tzu-yi (莫子儀), won the best leading actor award.
Chen Shu-fang and Mo Tzu-yi won best leading actress and actor at the Golden Horse Awards. (Taiwan News photo)
"It was the first time I had walked on the red carpet and I was so scared, but now I know how to walk on it and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is so pretty I think I will come back next year," said Chen.
Chen revealed that she took along a "lucky charm" with her — a jade Buddha statue that Mo's mother had given her.
Director of "Little Big Women," Hsu Cheng-jie (許承傑), told Taiwan News that instead of focusing on the battle between wife and mistress, the film portrayed the characters of all kinds of women.
"The film does not encourage the idea of letting go. I think it is quite irresponsible to ask others to get over someone or something because we do not know what they have been through," said Hsu.
Hsu announced that "Little Big Women" made more than NT$60 million (US$2.1 million). In the film, Chen's role is the owner of a restaurant that offers fried shrimp rolls as its signature dish.
The other best leading actress nominees included Taiwan's Patty Lee (李霈瑜) for "My Missing Valentine" (消失的情人節), Nikki Hsieh (謝欣穎) for "i WEiRDO" (怪胎), Gwei Lun-mei (桂綸鎂) for "A Leg" (腿), and Chinese-American Bai Ling (白靈) for "The Abortionist" (墮胎師).
The 2020 Golden Horse Awards ceremony was held at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taiwan's capital, with movie stars and professionals from the industry in attendance.
"Little Big Women" trailer. (YouTube, Vievision Pictures video)
