TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 43rd Golden Harvest Awards, the most prestigious award for young filmmakers in Taiwan, announced this year’s nominees during a ceremony in Taipei on Wednesday (March 31).
The nominations were presented by renowned film directors Huang Hsin-yao (黃信堯) and Chu Yu-ning (瞿友寧) as well as Golden Horse best actor award winner Mo Tsu-Yi (莫子儀).
Hosted by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development under Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, this year’s event for the first time is co-organized by the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee.
A total of NT$5,000,000 (US$175,325) will be given out to award winners, with the biggest award worth NT$600,000.
The award ceremony will be held on June 5, and more information about the film festival will be released in April.
With ten awards, Golden Harvest focuses on short films, documentaries, and animated films. Award categories include the following:
Grand Prize
Best Narrative Short Film
Best Documentary Short Film
Best Student Narrative Short Film
Best Student Documentary Short Film
Best Animated Short Film
Best Student Animated Short Film
Best Experimental Short Film
Best Student Experimental Short Film
Audience Choice Award
Critics Choice Award
Social Influencer Award
Established in 1978, the Golden Harvest Awards have given recognition to numerous accomplished filmmakers, including Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (李安), Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-Liang (蔡明亮), as well as Golden Horse-winning director Chung Mong-hong (鍾孟宏).
In an interview, Mo Tsu-Yi said the award “serves as the starting point for talented moviemakers and will lead them to produce long narrative films.”
Working with the Golden Harvest Awards for the first time, the CEO of Golden Horse, Wen Tianxiang (聞天祥), believes the collaboration will allow nominees to receive more resources. Specifically, winning directors are automatically admitted to the Golden Horse Master Class — a film course taught by world-renowned industry figures.
Despite the pandemic, more movies registered this year than last, with 415 signed up, a strong improvement over last year's figure of below 300.
“I was surprised,” said Wen, who claimed the increase marked a significant milestone.
When asked about the future of Taiwan’s film industry, Huang Hsin-yao and Wen Tianxiang both agreed Taiwanese domestic films will only get better.
As for improvements, Chu Yu-ning suggested directors treat their movies like a “product” and build a better “brand image” for their work to increase exposure.
