Taiwan's longest-running short film festival, the Golden Harvest Awards for Independent Films and Shorts, announced this year's winners in an online ceremony on March 27 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organized by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID), the coveted awards champion short and independent films that enrich lives through the ideas and emotions inspired by the art of filmmaking.
Hosted by film critic Gordon Yang (楊達敬) and veteran actress Vega Tsai (蔡燦得), the live-streamed event brought together Lin Chun-yang (林君陽), director of the crime series "The World Between Us (我們與惡的距離)," and the two ambassadors of the 2020 Golden Harvest Awards — critically acclaimed actress Lu Yi-ching (陸弈靜) and actor Tommi Wang (王可元), who rose to fame for his breakthrough roles in "The World Between Us" and "Erotica (情色小說)."
The awards are divided into general and student competitions. In the general category, the grand prize went to "Humming Memory (蟾鳴)" directed by Yu Han-ting (游翰庭) and starring Stone Yang (楊傑宇), who plays a young man tormented by troubling memories.
Yu was named best director for the film, and the best actor title was awarded to Yang for delivering an intense yet restrained performance. Emerging actress Esther Huang (黃瀞怡) received the best actress award for her astonishing portrait of a single mother in "The Other Side (無塵之地)."
Seasoned animator Fish Wang's (王登鈺) "Gold Fish (金魚)," a thought-provoking film that touches upon the topic of protests against authoritarian governments, took home the accolade for best animated short.
"The Chief of Yancheng District (塩埕區長)," which was directed by Adiong Lu (盧彥中) and named after a notorious innuendo-laden pop song, won best short documentary.
The film "The Glamorous Boys of Tang (唐朝．綺麗男)," a re-narration of the eponymous 1985 Taiwanese cult film by new media artist Su Hui-yu (蘇匯宇), was awarded best experimental short.
In the student category, the grand prize went to "My Father at Grandma's Funeral (看無風景)," a black-and-white film by Jhan Bo-jyun (詹博鈞) that offers poignant opportunities to explore how people cope with the death of a loved one.
An unsubtle family drama called "Two Funerals (兩場葬禮)" directed by Chen Liang-ting (陳亮廷) was the biggest student winner of the 2020 Golden Harvest Awards with three wins: best director, special mention, and best cinematography.
The best feature award was given to Teng Kun-hou's (丁冠濠) "One to Ten (合十)," a film with a coming-of-age plot about four high school girls, whose friendships are put to the test by the same ritual that brought them together in the first place.
Best animated short went to "Hidden Zone (隱匿的方寸空間)" by Malaysian animator Ng Chee-chong (黃志聰), a film that discusses self-existence through the symbolism of contrasting colors.
Award-winning artist Lin Yi-chi's (林羿綺) "Nanyang Express: Trans-drifting and South Sea Crossing (信使-返向漂流與南洋彼岸)" won best experimental short. The engaging story revolving around her family's trans-island migration depicts how familial bonds can transcend geographical boundaries.
As Taiwan's film industry continues to evolve to meet the unprecedented challenges arising from the COVID-19 crisis, BAMID teamed up with Golden Melody-winning pop rock band Mixer (麋先生) to produce "On The Road (愚公移山)," a song dedicated to Taiwan's filmmaking community. "On The Road" was played at the March 27 awards ceremony, encouraging filmmakers to show creativity and resilience at a time when the arts are needed more than ever.
The full list of winners is available here.