Stars gather for Chinese ´Oscars´ in Taiwan

TAIPEI: Asian cinema´s top stars gather in Taipei on Saturday for Taiwan´s Golden Horse film awards, dubbed the Chinese-language "Oscars", with acclaimed director Zhang Yimou´s "Shadow" leading the race.

Oscar-winning Taiwanese-American director Ang Lee, Chinese superstar Gong Li and Hong Kong´s "heavenly king" Andy Lau are among the celebrities due to walk down the red carpet in Taipei ahead of the glitzy ceremony.

Chinese director Zhang´s martial arts epic, inspired by traditional ink-brush painting, leads with 12 nominations including for the coveted best film, best director, best leading actor and actress awards.

Taiwanese comedy "Dear EX" about a widow fighting for her husband´s inheritance against his gay lover, follows closely with eight nods in the best film and best acting categories, plus a best new director nod for Taiwanese duo Mag Hsu and Hsu Chih-yen.

Best director contenders are all from China. Zhang, Jiang Wen ("Hidden Man") and Lou Ye ("The Shadow Play") will face off against 29-year-old Bi Gan ("Long Day´s Journey Into Night") and Tibetan Pema Tseden ("Jinpa").

Zhang has never won Golden Horse best director, while former actor Jiang, who starred in Zhang´s classic "Red Sorghum", won the title with his directorial debut "In the Heat of the Sun" in 1996.

The best acting awards are also dominated by Chinese talent, with Taiwan´s Roy Chiu and Hsieh Ying-xuan fighting for a home win for their respective roles as the gay lover and widowed mother in "Dear EX".

China´s Deng Chao, who plays the double of an official trained to protect him in ancient China in "Shadow", is a frontrunner for best actor against compatriots Xu Zheng ("Dying to Survive"), Duan Yihong ("The Looming Storm") and Peng Yuchang ("An Elephant Sitting Still").

Deng´s wife, Chinese television star Sun Li, who also plays his wife in "Shadow", is vying for best actress against Zhou Xun in Japanese director Shunji Iwai´s romance "Last Letter" as well as Zhao Tao ("Ash is Purest White") and Zeng Meihuizi ("Three Husbands").

Three Chinese dramas -- "Long Day´s Journey Into Night", "Dying to Survive" and "An Elephant Sitting Still" -- are also in the running for best film.

The best documentary category sees "Our Youth in Taiwan" about the island´s 2014 Sunflower Movement pitted against "Umbrella Diaries: The First Umbrella" about Hong Kong´s pro-democracy Umbrella Movement. Both mass protests were led by young activists and reflected increasing resistance to Beijing´s influence.

The 55th edition of the awards is due to start at 7:00 pm (1100 GMT) in Taipei´s Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.