The Golden Horse Awards Competition is founded since 1962 for promoting domestic film producing, activating film industry and encouragement providing for excellent films and outstanding filmmakers through competition. The international programme joined in 1980, and since then the whole festival has become the most influential event not only in film industry but also among Taiwanese audience.

Since 1990, the 27th Golden Horse Awards Competition was handed in to be hosted by The Motion Picture Development Foundation R.O.C. from Government Information Office, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee was set next to it. Positioning nine to fifteen film scholars and filmmakers as executive board including Chairman, Secretary-General, Deputy SC , responsible for nuclear affairs, and three departments: Marketing & Promotion Dep. is in charge of cooperation with sponsors, communication with media, brochure and programme designing and promotion activities. Competition Dep. is foe Chinese Language Film Competition, awarding ceremony and International Digital Short Competition. Festival Dep. is for planning of content of film festival, inviting films and filmmakers, arrangement of Chinese subtitles and all the carrying out and on-set matters during festival.

The Golden Horse Award Film Festival

About the Programme

Since 1980, TGHFF started the “Director In Focus” programmes, included Francois Traffaut, Alain Resnais, Ingmar Bergman, The German Cinema and etc. as a window opened toward brand new view for audience in Taiwan. In 1990, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee sets permanent organization handling administrative matters of film festival, enhanced the richness and diversification in programming.

About the Filmmakers

The opportunity to see prominent filmmakers in person, made possible by their attendance at the film festival, is a permanent goal of the TGHFF. Over the years, the programmers have succeeded in inviting many internationally renowned filmmakers, such as Nagisa Oshima in 1992, Abbas Kiarostami in 1993, Hal Hatley, Olivier Assayas, and Francois Ozon in 1999, as well as Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Tran Anh Hung, Hideaki Anno in 2000,Claire Denis and Jean-Jacques Beineix in 2001, Krzysztof Zanussi , Kim Ki-duk and Morita Yoshimitsu in 2002, Godfrey Reggio, Khyentse NORBU and Junji SAKAMOTO in 2003,and other important filmmakers from all over the world, to come and attend this event so that our audience and filmmakers alike, many have an opportunity to interact and communicate with these international filmmakers.

About the Events

TGHFF engineers series of peripheral activities along with theme festival to tout for the attention from audience and media, forming carnival ambiance. 2000 TGHFF started including the opening concert which had Wu Bai and Renee Liu invited and energetic RAVE PARTY hosted by Lin Qiang and Fluid Workshop and famous DJs, and arranged lecture after screening for interaction between audience and filmmakers. 2001 TGHFF made even more diverse planning including formal and informal forum during festival season and circular campus discussion meeting, invited important filmmakers, film critic and writers leading reading and interpretation of films.

Another substantial new step for TGHFF was the beginning of cooperation with media, publish “TGHFF news” everyday during festival carried film reviews, feedback or opinion from audience, related news release and updated information. 2003 TGHFF carried out the promotion combining series of forums and cafes around the theaters to ferment the overwhelming festival aura and provide film fans with access meeting each other. TGHFF’s utmost main concern and anticipation have always been nothing but introducing elegant, delicate film culture and urging more people going into theater and enjoy films.

The Golden Horse Awards Competition

Golden Horse Award has encouraged many excellent Chinese language films and outstanding filmmakers, becomes the most esteemed index within film industry, directly and indirectly push forward the development of integral filmmaking field, meaning and positioning momentous and significant historical value.

It has been forty the number of times of Golden Horse Chinese Language Film Competitions since 1962, all Chinese pronunciation, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Shang Hai dialect, films can apply the entry into competition. Competition before the fifteenth announced the award list beforehand, and afterwards, announced in ceremony then.

Golden Horse Awards Category

There are twenty-one awarding permanent items of Golden Horse Awards, two specials and one informal competition award, including categories for Best Picture, Best Short Film, Best Documentary as well as Best Animation. Individual Awards are given for Best Director, Best Leading Actor/Actress, Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best New Performer, Best Original Screenplay, Best Screenplay Adaptation, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Make Up & Costume Design, Best Action Choreography, Best Original Film Score, Best Origianal Film Song, Best Editing and Best Sound Effects. Special awards include Best Taiwanese Film of the Year and Best Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year. A non-competition award is given to the Audience Choice Award. There are about forty feature films, twenty documentary films, shots and animated films apply entry every single year

Golden Horse Awards Jury

Recent years, Golden Horse Awards takes on small jury, invites eleven to thirteen film-related field professionals attending Jury, for examples, directors, screenwriters, film critic, cinematographer, art directors, actor/actress, film editor…, like Hou Hsiao Hsian, Ko I Cheng, Hsu Feng, Wang Tung, Kuei Ya Lei, Mabel Cheung, Elaine Jin, Kenneth Tsang…and etc. 2002, TGHFF began to add international film-related professionals within the last phase like Japanese director Isao Yukisada, Korean director Kim Hong Joon (2002), German director Monika Treut, English animated film director Jayne Piling and Tokyo International Film Festival “Wind of Asia” Programing Director Sozo TERUOKA (2003).

Lifetime Achievemnet Awards

Golden Horse Award trusts major film associations to recommend candidates for Special Award, and the list will be reviewed by members of TGHFF executive committee and issue the certificate to commend his remarkable contribution. Filmmakers who have the honor to win the highest honorary commendation including Hsu Li Kong(Outstanding Producer), Jet Lee(Mainland Filmmaker Special), Li Hsing (Honorary Award), Lung Shihung (Honorary Award).

Golden Horse Awards Ceremony

As the highlight which closes the festival, the Golden Horse Awards Ceremony gathers all the starlight from significant figures in the film industry. Many filmmakers, such as Hou Hsiao Hsian, Edward Yang, Tsai Ming Liang, Wong Kar Wai, Chow Yun Fat, Tony Liang, John Woo, Hsui Hark, who have been contributing themselves to the accomplishment of the Chinese language film industry have received the Golden Horse Awards in this very ceremony. Maggie Cheung has even set an unbreakable record of getting 5 awards within 6 times nomination. Many international superstar, such as Elizabeth Tyler, Alain Delon, Robert Wise, Charles Bronson, Sigourney Weaver, Vincent Perez, Makiko Esumi, Rie Miyazawa, Chou Ji Woo, , Jin Yun Zhen…and etc., were also invited as special guests to give the prizes.

The International Digital Shorts Competition

The competition began from 2000 contributes toward encouraging and activating digital image field, enables domestic and international filmmakers to learn from each other, and the scope was broadened formally to “International Digital Short Competition.” There was 308 entry from more than thirty countries answered the soliciting contributions for digital shorts as worldwide scale entry that year, and young directors from many different countries gathered together during festival, not only providing filmmakers with opportunity exchange ideas, but also a bridge stretching out to extensive global vision.