By Huizhong Wu
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) --The Taiwanese film "My Missing Valentine" won big Saturday night at the annual Golden Horse Awards, taking five honors, including best feature film.
The romantic comedy, which tells the love story of a bus driver and a post office worker, also won for best director, best visual effects, best film editing and best original screenplay.
Overall, Taiwanese talent enjoyed a big night at the Golden Horse Awards, considered Asia's equivalent of the Academy Awards for Chinese-language films.
Taiwanese performers took home honors for best actor and best actress. Mo Tzu-yi won best actor for his role in "Dear Tenant," while Chen Shu-fang won best actress for "Little Big Women."
Malaysia's Chong Keat-aun won the award for best new director for "The Story of Southern Islet." Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien won the lifetime achievement award.
Even as the coronavirus pandemic has shut cinemas around the globe, actors, directors and others managed to walk the red carpet ahead of the ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan's capital. Taiwan has recorded only 611 cases of the coronavirus and just seven deaths.
"It is not easy. Look at what is happened around the world," said director Ang Lee, the chairman of the competition. "I have just come back from New York. Theaters are closed over there. I am deeply touched that Taiwan's box office revenue still keeps growing."
For the second straight year, mainland Chinese talent did not participate in the competition, with Beijing banning its artists from participating amid tensions between China and Taiwan. Taiwan split off from the mainland after the 1949 civil war, but China still claims the island as part of its territory.
Those tensions have played out at the Golden Horse Awards. In 2018, documentary director Fu Yue called on the world to recognize Taiwan as an independent country in an acceptance speech at the awards ceremony, something only a handful of nations currently do.
In response, Chinese participants refused to appear onstage, made pointed remarks about Taiwan and China being members of the same family, and then declined to attend the banquet reception following the show.
China holds its own film awards, called the Golden Rooster, which are subject to government ideological constraints and censorship.
Mike Pierantozzi joins Movers+Shakers as exec creative director
Creative agency Movers+Shakers has appointed Mike Pierantozzi as executive creative director. In this new role, he will help guide the creative direction of Movers+Shakers’ socially-native campaigns. Pierantozzi will report to co-founder and chief creative officer Geoffrey Goldberg.
With nearly two decades of experience as a copywriter, creative director, and multi-platform storyteller, Pierantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work with major brands including Kraft, Unilever, IBM, and Walmart. He has led the creation of award-winning campaigns for agencies like Red Tettemer, Ogilvy, The Brooklyn Brothers, TAXI, Saatchi & Saatchi, and most recently, Vayner, where he spearheaded culturally iconic work for Planters including “Death of Mr. Peanut.” He led the National Down Syndrome Society and Luvs account, whose “First Kid. Second Kid” campaign was awarded by the Effies, ADC, Clios and LIAs.
Outside of the office, Pierantozzi practices what he teaches brands. He’s gone viral multiple times on his own TikTok account, featuring comedic interactions with his son and a trombone. He’s accumulated 15K followers on TikTok.
“Mike brings a rare and awesome combination of deep social and platform experience, a keen eye for excellent storytelling, and a humble and kind approach to leadership,” said Goldberg. “Mike’s got a knack for turning brand stories into cultural movements, making him the perfect fit for Movers+Shakers. He’s got the kind of bold vision and attention to culture that fits perfectly with our mission to push creative boundaries and drive industry firsts. Plus, as a creator himself he has the innate ability to make people stop, laugh, and share--which is exactly what we’re about.”
“I’ve... Read More