Note: Asia In Cinema will have a live blog of this year’s Golden Horse Awards

Taiwan cinema makes a comeback at the Golden Horse Awards this year, with its productions and talents snagging the most number of nominations. This year, a total of 36 films were nominated from 576 films that were submitted to the festival.

Huang Hsin-yao’s The Great Buddha+ (大佛普拉斯) is the frontrunner with ten nominations, including best film, best new director, best supporting actor (Leon Dai), and best adapted screenplay. The film is the feature length extension of Huang’s short film.

Yang Ya-che’s The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful (血觀音), Sylvia Chang’s Love Education (相愛相親), and Zhang Jiajia’s See You Tomorrow (擺渡人) each secured seven nominations.

Yang’s dark comedy’s nominations include best film, best director, best actress (Kara Wai), best supporting actress (Vicky Chen), and best original screenplay. The film is also the opening film of the Golden Horse Festival and set to play at the Busan International Film Festival. It is set for release in Taiwan on November 24th.

14-year-old Vicky Chen is also nominated for best actress for mainland Chinese production Angels Wear White (嘉年華). The Vivian Qu film, which was in the competition of this year’s Venice Film Festival, is also nominated for best film and best director.

Love Education earned double nominations for director and star Sylvia Chang, as well as a best actor nomination for filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang, a best supporting actress nomination for Wu Yanshu, and best original screenplay. The family drama is set for release on November 17th in Taiwan, one week before the award ceremony.

In addition to a surprise best actor nomination for Takeshi Kaneshiro (his first ever Golden Horse acting nomination), See You Tomorrow is also nominated for best adapted screenplay and a slew of technical awards. The film did not receive a best film nomination or a best new director nomination for director Zhang Jiajia.

Nominated for best animated feature, best original film song and best original screenplay, mainland China’s Have a Nice Day (大世界) is the first animated film to receive a best screenplay nomination in the history of the awards.

Hong Kong-financed and mainland-set comedy Free and Easy (輕鬆+愉快) rounds out the best film contenders. The comedy, which won a special jury award for cinematic vision in the World Cinema section of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is also nominated for best director, best cinematography, and best original song.

Ann Hui filled in the gap left by The Great Buddha+ in the best director category, receiving her seventh nomination for war drama Our Time Will Come (明月幾時有). The mainland-Hong Kong co-production secured a total of five nominations, including acting nominations for Tony Leung Ka-fai (best supporting actor) and Deanie Ip (best supporting actress).

In addition to Wai, Chang and Chen, Shu Qi (for The Village of No Return 健忘村) and Yin Shin (for The Island That All Flow By 川流之島) round out the best actress category. All five nominated actresses are either from Taiwan or nominated for a Taiwan production.

After the success of I Am Not Madame Bovary (我不是潘金蓮) last year, Feng Xiaogang’s Youth (芳華) was expected to secure nominations in the major categories this year. However, the drama received only four nominations, including best new performer (Zhong Chuxi) and best adapted screenplay. Since it did not receive nominations in the best director or best film category, it will have to rely on next year’s mainland China film lottery to secure a release in Taiwan.

(Only ten mainland Chinese films are allowed into Taiwan every year, which are decided by a lottery held at the beginning of each year)

Hong Kong cinema also failed to repeat last year’s success, with only Our Time Will Come scoring nominations in the major categories.

Kaiser Chuang earned his first best actor nomination with mystery thriller Who Killed Cock Robin (目擊者). Mason Lee, the son of director Ang Lee, also earned his first acting nomination with a best supporting actor nomination for the film.

Foley artist Hu Ding-yi will receive this year’s outstanding Taiwanese filmmaker of the year award. As announced previously, actress Hsu Feng will receive the lifetime achievement award.

The jury for the final round this year will be led by Wu Nien-Jen. The other jury members will be announced later.

The 54th Golden Horse Awards will be held in Taipei on November 25th.

The 54th Golden Horse Awards nominations

Best Feature Film

Free and Easy

The Great Buddha+

Love Education

Angels Wear White

The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful

Best Documentary

Mama (羅長姐)

Inmates (囚)

Plastic China (塑料王國)

Condemned Practice Mode (徐自強的練習題)

Looking For? (你找什麼？)

Best Animation Feature

The Guardian (大護法)

Have a Nice Day

Barkley (小猫巴克里)

Best Director

Geng Jun – Free and Easy

Sylvia Chang – Love Education

Vivian Qu – Angels Wear White

Ann Hui – Our Time Will Come

Yang Ya-che – The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful

Best Leading Actor

Kaiser Chuang – Who Killed Cock Robin

Huang Bo – The Conformist (冰之下)

Tu Men – Old Beast (老獸)

Takeshi Kaneshiro – See You Tomorrow

Tian Zhuangzhuang – Love Education

Best Leading Actress

Shu Qi – The Village of No Return

Sylvia Chang – Love Education

Vicky Chen – Angels Wear White

Kara Wai – The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful

Yin Shin – The Island That All Flow By

Best Supporting Actor

Mason Lee – Who Killed Cock Robin

Lei Jiayin – Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield (綉春刀II修羅戰場)

Leon Dai – The Great Buddha+

Bamboo Chen – Alifu, the Prince/ss (阿莉芙)

Tony Leung Ka-fai – Our Time Will Come

Best Supporting Actress

Wu Yanshu – Love Education

Chen Shiang-Chyi – The Receptionist (接線員)

Deanie Ip – Our Time Will Come

Vicky Chen – The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful

Hsu Wei-ning – The Tag-Along 2 (紅衣小女孩2)

Best New Director

Huang Xi – Missing Johnny (強尼．凱克)

Tan Seng-kiat – Shuttle Life (分貝人生)

Huang Hsin-yao – The Great Buddha+

Zhou Ziyang – Old Beast

Chan Ching-lin – The Island That All Flow By

Best New Performer

Rima Zeidan – Missing Johnny

Kent Tsai –  All Because of Love (痴情男子漢)

Zhong Chuxi – Youth

Zhang Aoyue – The Hidden Sword (刀背藏身)

Wu Nien Hsuan – The Tag-Along 2

Best Original Screenplay

Liu Jian – Have a Nice Day

Zhou Ziyang – Old Beast

Sylvia Chang, You Xiaoying – Love Education

Wang Yu-lin, Hsu Hua-chien, Hua Bai-rong, Juliana HSU, Chen Hui-ling – Alifu, the Prince/ss

Yang Ya-che – The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful

Best Adapted Screenplay

Li Baoluo – Bangzi Melody (村戲)

Huang Hsin-yao – The Great Buddha+

Wong Kar-wai, Zhang Jiajia – See You Tomorrow

Yan Geling – Youth

Xu Haofeng – The Hidden Sword

Best Cinematography

Free and Easy

Shuttle Life

The Great Buddha+

Old Beast

See You Tomorrow

Best Visual Effects

Who Killed Cock Robin

This Is Not What I Expected! (喜歡．你)

See You Tomorrow

Mon Mon Mon Monsters! (報告老師！怪怪怪怪物！)

Wukong (悟空傳)

Best Art Direction

The Village of No Return

The Great Buddha +

See You Tomorrow

Youth

The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful

Best Makeup & Costume Design

Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield

The Village of No Return

See You Tomorrow

Youth

The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful

Best Action Choreography

Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield

Wukong

Explosion (引爆者)

The Hidden Sword

Paradox (殺破狼．貪狼)

Best Original Film Score

Missing Johnny

Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield

The Great Buddha +

Our Time Will Come

The Hidden Sword

Best Original Film Song

Have a Nice Day

Free and Easy

The Great Buddha+

See You Tomorrow

Love Education

Best Film Editing

Plastic China

Who Killed Cock Robin

The Great Buddha+

The Foolish Bird (笨鳥)

Our Time Will Come

Best Sound Effects

Who Killed Cock Robin

The Conformist

The Great Buddha+

Mon Mon Mon Monsters!

The Tag-Along 2

Best Live Action Short Film

The Night of Arzu (阿爾祖之夜)

Blind Mouth (盲口)

Love After Time (愛在世界末日)

Babes’ Not Alone (亮亮與噴子)

The Dress on Her (層層摺起的寂寞)

Best Animated Short Film

Fundamental (基石)

St(r)ay (（迷）留)

Revelation-The City of Haze (啟示錄－霧霾之城)

Stories About Him (關於他的故事)

Losing Sight of a Longed Place (暗房夜空)