Taiwan's 'Hsiao Yu' grabs five awards at film festival
Taiwan's 'Hsiao Yu' grabs five awards at film festival
JAKARTA (JP): Hsiao Yu, a Taiwan thriller-drama about the
adventures of an illegal Chinese immigrant in New York, won five
of a possible 12 awards, including best film, at the 40th Asia-
Pacific Film Festival last night.
Hsiao Yu also won for best sound, best art direction (Wen Li)
and best screenplay (Sylvia Chang and Ayli). Actress Rene Liu
Joyin, who played the heroine in the film's title, was named best
actress.
The Taiwan film, directed by Sylvia Chang, beat four others
nominated for best film: The Last Tattoo (New Zealand), Turning
Point (Japan), The Lovers (Hong Kong) and And the Moon Dances
(Indonesia).
The award ceremony at the Jakarta Convention Center last night
was the climax of the four-day festival. Fourteen countries
participated in the festival.
Minister of Information Harmoko presented the award for best
film to Hsiao Yu producer, Hsu Li Kong.
Among the other nominations for best films, only The Lovers
and Turning Point shared in the night's spoils, with one award
each -- best director (Tsui Hark) and best editing (Nobuhiko
Obayashi).
Surprisingly, the Japanese film 47 Ronin, which was not
nominated for best film, came away with two awards: best music
(Kenzago Tanikana) and best cinematography (Yokiosho Hata).
Best actor
The award for best actor went to Hwi Chang Kong of South Korea
for his role in The Two Flags and best supporting actress was
given to Mamaengaroa who played in Once Were Warriors, a New
Zealand entry.
Host Indonesia failed to win an award.
Taipei Tree Frog, directed by Taiwan's Liuo Yamm-ming won the
best photography non-dramatic film, while Australia's 50 Years of
Silence, produced by Ned Lander, won the non-dramatic film
category.
A special prize was presented to Sir Run Run Shaw, an 84-year
old Hong Kong film mogul for his dedication to the film industry
and to the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.
Shaw is one of founders of the festival.
The victory for Hsiao Yu made up for the Taiwan delegation's
disappointment that jury did not nominate Taiwan's other major
entry, Vive l'Amour, for best film.
Many in the festival, including non-Taiwanese, thought that
the film, which won the Golden Lion award for best film at the
Venice film festival last year, was a strong favorite.
Rene Liu Joyin, in accepting the best actress award, expressed
her gratitude to Yang Kuei Mei, the leading actress in Vive
L'Amour, whom she considered as "the best actress in my heart".
The annual film festival saw a total of 30 feature films and
10 documentary films supplied by nine of the 14 countries taking
part in the festival: Indonesia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan,
Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia. The other
five participants -- Kuwait, Vietnam, Singapore, India and the
Philippines -- sent their films to be screened only.
The festival will move to Auckland, New Zealand next year.
(als)