Golden Angel Awards: China-U.S Movie Relations

The Golden Angel Awards ceremony in San Gabriel, California, was an event that saved politics within the foreground, however which concurrently managed to downplay the frosty present state of U.S.-China diplomatic relations.

The awards occasion on Friday evening additionally served because the opening ceremony of the 18th version of the Chinese language American Movie Pageant (CAFF) and Chinese language American TV Pageant (CATF), annual occasions which showcase Chinese language motion pictures within the residence state of American moviemaking.

After a sublime style present by Chinese language womenswear model Yu Tai Xiang, U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu took to the stage to discuss the upcoming midterm elections within the U.S., discuss up Chinese language-American historical past, and to rail in opposition to the latest rise in anti-Asian hate crimes within the U.S.

“We want the [U.S.] public to know that AAPI [Asian American and Pacific Islander] historical past is American historical past,” she stated.

CAFF organizer James Su laid down a equally laudable message. “We must always use the ability of movie to combat hate crimes in opposition to the Asian American group,” he stated.

They gave an “AAPI Movie Pioneer” award to Bruce Lee, the long-lasting Chinese language kung fu star who broke into Hollywood 50 years in the past with “Fist of Fury” and who was credited with constructing a bridge between the East and West by means of his motion pictures.

Lee’s daughter Shannon was readily available to just accept the award on behalf of her father. “Thanks for recognizing his impression, his combat for Asian illustration in Hollywood, for his need to create and share authentically his tradition with the world,” she stated.

One other speaker urged the largely Chinese language American dinner and awards crowd: “Don’t overlook to vote.” The irony can scarcely have been missed, however the second handed with no beat.

The acceleration into movie awards procession was simply as surreal. Solely moments after an offstage compere urged prize winners to maintain their acceptance speeches underneath 30 seconds the winner of the brief movie class launched into an emotional thank-you discourse that was so long as many shorts and needed to be drowned out by recorded music. He was not the final among the many in-person recipients to endure that destiny. The numerous winners and presenters who couldn’t journey from China to the ceremony and despatched video messages as a substitute have been much more self-disciplined.

Given China’s present movie releasing drought and this 12 months’s China field workplace malaise, Sino-U.S. political tensions weren’t the one cracks to be papered over. Most of the characteristic movie awards went to Chinese language-made motion pictures whose impression had not registered within the U.S.

The award for finest China-U.S. co-production was a stretch contemplating that such co-productions have all however dried up. The award went to “Assume Like a Canine,” a family-friendly comedy starring Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox and Gabriel Bateman that shot in 2018, earned an earlier CAFF award in 2019, went straight to video in 2020 and performed as this 12 months’s CAFF opening title. The movie’s director and author Gil Junger instructed Selection that “Assume Like a Canine” had not been conceived as a co-production however was as a substitute reconfigured as such after filming in China and receiving Chinese language authorities finance.

The very best movie award seemed to be shared between ten titles starting from the positive artwork of Zhang Lu’s “Yanagawa” to the patriotic title “My Nation, My Folks.”

However because the ceremony progressed one title “Good View” emerged as a repeat winner – sharing the most effective movie prize and in addition gathering the most effective director award (Wen Muye) and finest producer award (Liu Mingyi). Hatched with authorities approval, it tells a heartwarming story of a younger man who went to excessive and amusing lengths to lift cash for his youthful sister’s pressing surgical procedure.

The movie’s success on the evening was a sensible selection. The title was smash hit in February when field workplace tidings have been rosier. It’s also set because the CAFF’s closing title and lately emerged as China’s contender for the most effective worldwide characteristic Oscar.

Friends on the evening included Andre Morgan and Ellen Eliasoph, producers with depth of expertise on either side of the Pacific; Zhang Ping from the Consulate Normal of the Folks’s Republic of China in Los Angeles; Warner Bros. senior VP Tonis Kiis; Common Photos Worldwide senior VP; Jeffrey Forman, Walt Disney Studios senior VP; and “Rush Hour” producer Arthur Sarkissian.