Ilo Ilo clinches 6 major Golden Horse nominations

SINGAPORE — Fresh from winning a string of awards at last month’s film festivals in Russia and Hungary, Singapore film Ilo Ilo could be in line for more honours — this time at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, dubbed the Oscars of Chinese-language cinema. Director Anthony Chen’s multiple award-winning intimate family drama has emerged as one of the front-runners for the awards, clinching a total of six major nominations, including for Best Film, Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay. Also nominated are Chen Tianwen for Best Supporting Actor, Yeo Yann Yann for Best Supporting Actress and first-time child actor Koh Jia Ler for Best Newcomer. “Oh my goodness! Six nominations! I’m melting, gasping and catching my breath. I can’t believe it,” Mr Chen, 29, told TODAY over the phone immediately after the nominations were announced live on YouTube and Twitter at 5pm yesterday by festival Chairman Hou Hsiao-Hsien. “This is a massive achievement for Singapore!” said an excited Mr Chen, a Cannes Camera d’Or winner. “I was thinking it will be nice to have two or three nominations, but this has really astounded me. It’s a real gift to the cast and crew and everyone.” Taiwan’s very own two-time Oscar winner Lee Ang is chairing the jury at this special 50th Golden Horse Awards. Asked how he felt to have Mr Lee, his idol, chair the jury which nominated Ilo Ilo, Mr Chen said: “Just the idea of him seeing my film puts a smile on my face.” With its haul of six nods, Ilo Ilo has the highest nominations ever for a Singapore film that is fully funded locally in the history of the Golden Horse awards — compared to Mr Jack Neo’s The Best Bet, which garnered a Best Original Film Song nomination in 2004, and Mr Royston Tan’s 881, which was nominated for the Best Styling and Best Costume awards in 2007. The Home Song Stories, which was produced by Singapore’s MediaCorp Raintree Pictures and Australia’s Film Finance Corporation, received seven nominations, including Best Film, in 2007 — but it was a Singapore-Australia co-production. The film ended up winning two — Best Actress for Ms Joan Chen and Best Original Screenplay for Mr Tony Ayres. And if 12-year-old Koh, a Best Actor winner at the recent 9th Eurasia Film Festival in Kazakhstan, were to be named Best New Peformer, he would be following in the footsteps of Megan Zheng, who became the first Singaporean to win a Golden Horse award in 2003 when she was 10. With a Best Film nominee list that boasts the creme de la creme of Asian cinema, Mr Chen can expect tough competition. His Ilo Ilo is up against The Grandmaster by the inimitable Wong Kar Wai; Drug War by last year’s Golden Horse Best Director winner Johnnie To; A Touch Of Sin by the critically lauded Jia Zhengke; and Stray Dogs by celebrated Malaysian-born director Tsai Ming-liang. It has been a festival-winning streak for Singapore’s arguably most-decorated film, which kicked off with Mr Chen’s historic Camera d’Or win at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. With the six Golden Horse nods, Ilo Ilo is well on its way to making history once again as it continues its bid to become the first Singapore film to be nominated for — and possibly win — that elusive Oscar. The winners will be announced on Nov 23 at the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live by TTV (Taiwan Television Enterprise).