A Golden Horse award winner's comments at the ceremony on Saturday night have set off a chain of political remarks that have overshadowed this year’s awards. The awards are the top honors for Chinese-language films.
In her acceptance speech, Taiwanese Director Fu Yue said, “I really hope that one day, our country can be treated as a truly independent entity.”
Chinese actor Tu Men later said he was honored to be returning as a presenter in “Taiwan, China.” On Sunday, President Tsai Ing-wen responded to the controversy on her Facebook page, saying "We have never accepted the phrase ‘Taiwan, China’ and will not accept it. Taiwan is Taiwan.”
Tsai also said, "While filmmakers are welcome in Taiwan, they should respect the feelings of the Taiwanese once they are here."
Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chun also responded to the incident, when questioned by lawmakers on Monday at the legislature. Cheng said, “We’ve expressed it clearly. This is “Taiwan, not “Taiwan, China”. We expect that when they come to Taiwan, they will cherish the values of freedom and democracy. Perhaps Taiwan’s freedom and democratic values [can serve as an example] for countries without freedom and democracy. Likewise, we expect that when those who work in the Chinese film industry come for the Golden Horse Awards, they also have the freedom to not express a stance.”
Some legislators expressed concern over whether the controversy would affect the future of Taiwan’s films in China. Tseng said that Taiwan needs to continue to develop its film industry so that it can choose which countries it wants to work with and is not limited by any one market.
Meanwhile, Oscar-winning Director Ang Lee said, “We prefer it [the awards] to remain pure and for there to be no disturbances. Please show respect for the film industry."
Lee served this year as chairman of the Golden Horse Awards’ executive committee. His participation is widely thought to have attracted a large delegation of some of the biggest players in China’s film industry to attend this year.
