Two major Asian film awards took place this weekend, there was the Blue Dragon Film Awards celebrating Korean cinema held in Seoul, and further South in Taipei the annual Golden Horse Film Awards feted the Chinese-language movies of 2013. It was the 50th anniversary of the famed Golden Horse Awards and this was a ceremony that had more big name presenters than even the nominees. This year’s Chairman was Ang Lee, undisputably the most famous Chinese filmmaker in the world, and he brought as a date and presenter the long-retired but glorious TW-actress Brigitte Lin. The biggest name nominee going into the ceremony was Wang Kar Wai‘s The Grandmaster starring Tony Leung, Zhang Zi Yi, and Song Hye Kyo, with the first two garnering nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively as well as the movie getting a Best Film nod. Zhang Zi Yi had been nominated three times before but the fourth time was the charm for her as she won over other powerhouse actresses like Gwei Lun Mei and Shu Qi.

Tony didn’t manage to bag his fourth win (previous Best Actor wins including Chungking Express, Lust, Caution, and Infernal Affairs), losing out to Lee Kang-sheng for Stray Dogs, but walked the red carpet with co-star Zhang Ziyi and actress wifey Carina Lau. This was one of the most star-studded Golden Horse Awards in recent memory and the red carpet was a resounding win with starlets going for all colors of the rainbow as well as cuts, fabric and styles. I also love how the plastic surgery craze up in Korea hasn’t hit the Chinese-speaking entertainment industry as hard, so we have older A-list actresses that still look like their young beautiful selves but with happy wrinkles and lots of charisma and confidence. My favorite dress was Shu Qi’s risque stunner that she pulled off with confidence, but I thought the most gorgeous was Zhao Wei with her flowing locks and perfect makeup paired with an unexpected stylish black pant ensemble. Check out the winners list below and the red carpet pics. While The Grandmaster took home the Audience Choice Award, a small Singaporean movie Ilo Ilo beat the odds and won Best Picture. Continue reading →