‘Iloilo’ shares top ‘Asian Oscar’ award

Photo courtesy of Fisheye Pictures/Han

TAIPEI—Films from Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan have split the honors at the 50th Golden Horse Awards, the Chinese-language Oscars.

Singaporean social drama “Iloilo” won four trophies—best film, new director, supporting actress and original screenplay. Hong Kong’s martial-arts epic “The Grandmaster” won best actress, for China’s Zhang Ziyi, and in four other categories, including best cinematography.

Anthony Chen’s “Iloilo” tells the story of a Singaporean family and the household’s Filipino nanny (played by Filipino actress Angeli Bayani), as they cope with the Asian economic crisis. Wong Kar-wai’s “The Grandmaster” was inspired by the life of kung-fu expert Ip Man.

The awards show’s surprise were the two awards for Taiwan’s “Stray Dogs,” which uses a collage of slow shots to illuminate the desperate lives of an alcoholic and his two children in modern-day Taipei.

Malaysian-born Tsai Ming-liang won best director; Lee Kang-sheng was named best actor for his work in the film.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Ang Lee, who  is the jury head of the Golden Horse Awards, is due in Manila tomorrow. AP