The Golden Horse Awards—held annually in Taipei, Taiwan—have been dubbed the Chinese Oscars for recognizing the acknowledging the best in acting and production in Chinese-language films. It is one of the biggest entertainment award ceremony in Asia, featuring films not only within Taiwan but also from Hong Kong, China and all the other Chinese speaking countries. It is becoming more and more recognized in the US, serving as a platform for celebrities to get acquainted, connect and gain exposure to different audiences across continents.
Even though the impact of Hollywood movies in the US has been tremendous and astounding, bombarding us with the idealized American cultures and aspects, people are trying to shrink the bridging gap between Western and Eastern cinema. This past year, major Chinese actress Fan Bing Bing—who had appeared in X-Men—was invited to be a member of the jury for Cannes Film Festival alongside Jessica Chastain and Will Smith. More and more Chinese artists are moving over to appear in Hollywood movies (famous Taiwanese singer songwriter Jay Chou has appeared in American movies The Green Hornet and Now You See Me 2).
Taiwanese singer songwriter Jay Chou (right) pictured on the poster of Now You See Me 2 with Michael Caine (left) and Daniel Radcliffe (middle)
Introducing the Golden Horse Awards to the US media culture is interesting because this is part of the way media has shaped our views and mentality. In Chinese culture, we have grown up watching actors and actresses garner fame from winning a Golden Horse Award…it is part of our childhood and definitely frames our personality and passion in media, communication, fashion and arts. The interaction and collaboration between celebrities that come from different cultures and speak different languages intrigues me in the same way I, as an international student from Asia, interact with domestic students that have been so accustomed to the “American” lifestyle that they hardly notice the odd, quirky differences.
It is always exhilarating and exciting to have Hollywood A-list celebrities stop by Taiwan during their tour to Asia. Since it’s such a small island on the map, people might wonder if there is point of promoting movies there. But whenever one did come, it would create such a whirlwind and frenzy throughout the whole country. In the past Scarlett Johansson filmed Lucy in Taipei City, Ryan Reynolds promoted Deadpool, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry held concerts…Recently we had Hugh Jackman and Sir Patrick Stewart stop by to promote their movie Logan, and when Hugh appreciated fondly on the enthusiasm that he received from Taiwanese fans on Jimmy Fallon’s talk show, it brought out a sense of pride and warmth in me. As you can see, because of the rareness of these encounters we have with Hollywood stars, they seem to be even more fascinating and foreign to us.
Going back to the Golden Horse Awards, Taiwan welcomed Lily Collins to walk the red carpet and present an award on stage two years ago.
This year we had the privilege of having Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain present the Best Actress award with director Ang Lee. (For those who don’t know Ang Lee, he is Taiwan’s glory and pride, winning Best Director award for Brokeback Mountain and The Life of Pi during the Oscars. It was such a peculiar and glorious moment, when you see your whole country rooting for one guy that could potentially turn the tables and introduce Taiwan in a unprecedented light to the world).
Taiwanese director Ang Lee on Life of Pi, below
Jessica Chastain is also the spokesperson for Piaget Jewelry, who is a sponsor for the Golden Horse Awards. She looks like a beautiful porcelain doll gliding on the red carpet in a pale lilac Armani Prive Couture dress with Piaget jewelry.
It was also heartening to see Jessica Chastain admiring females’ prominence in Chinese film production. A strong feminist and women advocate, she tweeted her admiration on Twitter, complimenting the fact that there were more women nominated in the Best Director category than men. This is something that is quite distinct from the US, a goal that Hollywood is trying to strive for in the near future. Jessica has become a powerful voice and an influencer in the entertainment industry, asserting the importance of having more female roles not only on the silver screen but also in the films’ behind the scenes production process. A way that she does that is to take on challenging movies that dives into tough issues, and paint a portrait of a leading female character with agency and grit.
The Golden Horse Awards will continue to push Asian artists into the limelight of the world. Hopefully, as diverse cultures are slowly began to interweave right now, we will see more and more collaboration between entertainment across the West and the East.