'Ilo Ilo' wins Golden Horse for Best Feature Film
2013/11/24 01:10:56
'Ilo Ilo' director Anthony Chen (front) receives Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film.
Taipei, Nov. 23 (CNA) "Ilo Ilo," by Singaporean director Anthony Chen, beat a field of strong contenders to snatch the Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film, giving the family drama a total of four awards at Saturday's ceremony in Taipei.
The highly praised film entered the competition with six nominations. Chen scooped up the Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay awards with his debut feature film, while Yeo Yann Yann, who plays a mother in the movie, won Best Supporting Actress.
The Best Feature Film award was presented to Chen by two-time Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee, who was the chairman of this year's jury, and Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien.
"Thank you Ang Lee, thank you judges. You have allowed the Chinese-speaking world to become aware of Singaporean films. You have turned a new page in the history of Singaporean films," said Chen, 29, in his acceptance speech.
"I hope this award will be an encouragement to other young Singaporean directors. Go Singaporean films. Go Chinese-language films," Chen said.
Written and directed by Chen, the film tells the story of the Lims, a Singaporean family affected by the financial crisis in Southeast Asia in the 1990s.
Occupied with their problems, the Lims hire a Filipino nanny to look after their young son. The story centers on the close bond that gradually develops between the son and the nanny.
The film has been chosen as Singapore's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards.
The other nominees for this year's Best Feature Film Golden Horse award were "The Grandmaster," a martial arts flick by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai; "A Touch of Sin," a crime drama by Chinese director Jia Zhangke; "Stray Dogs," by Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang; and "Drug War," a police thriller by Hong Kong director Johnnie To.
The star-studded ceremony, considered the Chinese-language Oscars, is one of the most prestigious film events in the Chinese-speaking world.
(By Christie Chen)
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