Despite being only partially confident, the three local filmmakers who were nominated at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards (GHA) feel flattered by the recognition.
Dubbed the Oscars in the Chinese-speaking world by some, the GHA was inaugurated 60 years ago. Films that have half of their dialog spoken in the Chinese language are eligible for the awards. Silent films will also be eligible if they are directed by an ethnic Chinese director and produced by a crew consisting of a minimum of 50% ethnic Chinese.
Similar to other famous film awards around the world, the GHA is currently held as a film festival. It will be hosting its 59th edition on November 19.
In this edition of the film awards, three local filmmakers managed to secure nominations in three categories, namely young film director Hong Heng Fai for Best New Director, audio technician Ellison Lau Chi Keong for Best Sound Effects and cinematographer Charlie Sou Wai Kin for Best Cinematography.
The name of the film they produced is Kissing the Ground You Walked On.
It is not the first time the film director has had a nomination in the GHA. In 2016, Hong was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film with his production titled Crash. He eventually lost to A Sunny Day by Ying Liang.
Speaking to the Times, Hong said that his last experience with the GHA was more exciting because it was the first experience of its kind in his life.
He also admitted that he is competing with four other aspiring and talented emerging film directors, making his odds of winning the award no larger than his co-workers Lau and Sou.
Both Lau and Sou are lined up with big names. Lau is competing among veteran filmmakers such as Nopawat Likitwong for Hong Kong film Limbo, winner of the Best Sound Effects category in the 15th Asian Film Awards held in Busan, South Korea; as well as R.T Kao, Rockid Lee and Richard Hocks for Taiwanese cinema and Netflix blockbuster pseudo-documentary Incantation. Other nominees in this category include R.T Kao, Tsai Doit, Kenny Cheng for The Abandoned and Tu Duu-Chih, Chiang Yi-Chen, Chen Yu-Chieh
Meanwhile, Sou has been nominated as well as Cheng Siu-keung for Limbo and Chen Ko-chin for Incantation, as well as Leung Ming-kai for The Sunny Side of the Street and Yao Hung-i for Salute. Cheng won the awards in the category in both the Festival de Cine de Sitges in Catalonia and the Hong Kong Film Awards.
The revelation of the nominations for films and filmmakers this year was held on Tuesday.
The film director said that he was “a little relieved” when he got the news. When questioned about this feeling – not very common and not very similar to his co-workers’ – Hong explained that he had seen his own production too many times and become numb. “I started to become detached from what other people think [about the film],” he said.
Moreover, he added that this film is quite experimental, making him unsure if it will be well received. This is also why he felt relieved when his nomination was announced.
This time, he wants to focus more on the experience rather than being over excited, he said. “After all, getting three nominations has already surpassed my expectations,” Hong concluded.
On the other hand, Lau described being nominated as “dreamy and fantastic,” adding that “it feels wonderful to be on the grid with big masters.”
He considers the nomination as a recognition, despite not yet being an award, for he thinks getting a nomination in such a globally recognized award in the ninth year of his career in the film industry is memorable and worth celebrating.
He admitted that although not every filmmaker chases after awards, he would still work diligently in the hopes of further and greater recognition.
Similar to Lau, Sou also feels excited about being on the same grid with big names in the industry. His emotions fluctuated slightly when he got the news. “I was a little shocked when the nomination was revealed,” said Sou. He also thinks that this nomination is a recognition and pledged that he would keep working hard in the industry.
The three of them are not very confident about securing the awards, due to the fact that Macau is still very green in the filmmaking industry, but will consider this a very precious lesson.
Kissing the Ground
You Walked On:
a brief synopsis
Hong’s film is a story revolving around two men: a half-retired young novelist and his tenant. There is a day when the novelist gets an opportunity to write a new book. While he is contemplating his new masterpiece, he has an internal struggle as to what his ideal is like. Here comes his tenant, a young man who eventually gives him inspirations not only on his upcoming book, but also on his vision of life, through an intriguing relation intertwining the two men.
