Hong Kong film dreaming of glory at Chinese 'Oscars'

"Hong Kong film dreaming of glory at Chinese 'Oscars' | AboutHK.Com - More Information About HK"

Hong Kong director Clara Law's "Like A Dream" leads nominations for this year's Golden Horse Film Awards, the "Oscars" of Chinese-language cinema, organisers announced Wednesday. "Like A Dream", produced in China, will be vying for honours in nine categories, including for the coveted best director and best film awards, when the 46th annual ceremony is held on November 28. The film stars Hong Kong heartthrob Daniel Wu and China's Yolanda Yuan, both of whom are up for the top acting awards. Taiwanese director Leon Dai's "No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti", based on a true story of a diver fighting for custody of his daughter, follows closely with seven nods, including best film, best director and Taiwanese film of the Year award. Newcomer Chen Wen-pin is up for best leading actor for his performance in the film, along with Wu ("Like A Dream"), Nick Cheung (for Hong Kong film "The Beast Stalker") and China's Huang Bo ("Cow"). Chinese director Guan Hu's "Cow", about a farmer entrusted by the Chinese communist army to look after a cow during the war against Japan, also receives seven nominations. Espionage thriller "The Message" is nominated in five categories, including two best leading actress gongs for leading ladies Zhou Xun and Li Bingbing. The pair are competing against Yuan ("Like A Dream") and Taiwanese-French actress Sandrine Pinna ("Yang Yang"). Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang's "Visage" (Face), the first of a new set of works produced by The Louvre based on the myth of Salome, bags five nominations including for best film, best director and best art direction. Chinese star Zhang Ziyi is vying for best supporting actress for "Forever Enthralled" -- the biopic of legendary Peking opera singer Mei Lanfang, but the blockbuster surprisingly only secured nominations in four categories. The Golden Horse Awards are styled on the US Academy Awards but are decided by a jury along the lines of the Cannes film festival. Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.