Sabu’s ‘Arrested Memory’ Leads Golden Horse Awards Nominations, Shu Qi’s ‘Girl’ Close Behind

Sabu‘s “Arrested Memory” topped the field for the 63rd Golden Horse Awards with 11 nominations, one ahead of Shu Qi‘s “Girl,” which picked up 10.

Joseph Hsu Chen-chieh’s “Double Happiness” and Yeung Leung-chuen’s “We Are Born Good” are next with nine each. All four titles are in the running for best narrative feature and best film editing, and each has a nominee in either the best director or best new director race. Anthony Chen’s “We Are All Strangers” takes the fifth best narrative feature slot.

Sabu, Hsu and Chen are joined in the best director category by Herman Yau for “We’re Nothing at All” and Edmund Yeo for “The Age of Goodbyes.” Shu and Yeung compete for best new director against Priscilla Ang Geck-geck (“Ah Girl”), Shieh Meng-ju (“Mudborn”) and Michelle Zhou (“Big Little Things”).

Ethan Juan’s turn in “Arrested Memory” earned him a best leading actor nod. He is up against Leon Dai (“Kung Fu”), Liu Kuan-ting (“Double Happiness”), Yeung Wai-lun (“We Are Born Good”) and Jack Tan (“Dead Tide”).

The best leading actress contenders are Yeo Yann-yann (“We Are All Strangers”), Angela Yuen (“Afterpiece”), Jennifer Yu (“Double Happiness”), Liang Cuishan (“Big Little Things”) and Chung Suet-ying (“We Are Born Good”).

Organizers drew 587 entries this year: 92 narrative features, 60 feature documentaries, three animated features, 294 live-action shorts, 71 documentary shorts and 67 animated shorts. The nominations were read out by Ma Shih-yuan, who won best new performer at last year’s edition, and Jimmy Liu, a nominee in the same category.

Wen Tien-hsiang, CEO of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee, named colorist Moya Chou as this year’s Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year. Chou has spent close to three decades in color grading, a career that straddles the shift from celluloid to digital, and collaborates with directors and cinematographers to build the light and color texture of each film. His credits include “Us and Them,” “Dear Ex,” “I Weirdo,” “The Soul,” “The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon” and “A Foggy Tale.” His 2026 projects include “Sayang,” “The Age of Goodbyes” and “The Photo from 1977.” Yu Kan-ping is this year’s lifetime achievement award honoree.

Voting runs in three rounds – preliminary, nomination and final – with winners decided on the day of the ceremony. The jury will be revealed in late October.

Every nominated film will play during the Golden Horse Film Festival, opening Nov. 6. The ceremony will be held Nov. 22 at Taipei Music Center and, from this edition onward, takes place on a Sunday rather than a Saturday. TTV will carry the broadcast in Taiwan, with MyVideo by Taiwan Mobile holding exclusive live-streaming rights. StarHub will air the show in Singapore and Astro in Malaysia, while viewers elsewhere can tune in via the festival’s YouTube channel.

The full list of nominees:

Best Narrative Feature
“Girl”
“Double Happiness”
“We Are Born Good”
“Arrested Memory”
“We Are All Strangers”

Best Documentary Feature
“The Dance of a Soloist,” Lee Li-shao
“The Whisper of Sunlight,” Wong Siu-pong
“Scenes from Departure,” Chan Kam-hei
“Almost Home,” Jiang Wenjie
“Etude,” Lin Yu-en

Best Animated Feature
“Magic Atlas,” Sun Xun
“Welcome to Dolly’s House,” Seven YCH, Rady Fu, Liu Yu-shu
“The Violinist,” Ervin Han, Raúl García

Best Live Action Short Film
“The Last Jiangshi,” Yu Chih-chieh
“She Said,” Ivan Tan
“Three Little Pigs,” Chung Kam-nei
“Fruit,” Lim Jen-nee
“Her Slope,” Kuo Pei-chi

Best Documentary Short Film
“Myanmar Girls,” Flora Huang Ling-hwa
“The Paperflower Still Blooms,” Yeh Chih-fang
“Night Journey,” Tsai Ming-liang
“Amateur in the Moon,” Huang Pang-chuan, Lin Chun-ni
“A Farewell to Julieta,” Lei Cheok-mei

Best Animated Short Film
“Stacy,” Lin Yi-ling
“Deep End,” Zhang Puzhen
“You Are Not Part of the Cake,” Chen Ting-jui
“The Buried Baby,” Fish Wang, Yang Ya-ting
“Bowknot,” Li Yizhou

Best Director
Herman Yau, “We’re Nothing at All”
Edmund Yeo, “The Age of Goodbyes”
Joseph Hsu Chen-chieh, “Double Happiness”
Sabu, “Arrested Memory”
Anthony Chen, “We Are All Strangers”

Best Leading Actor
Leon Dai, “Kung Fu”
Liu Kuan-ting, “Double Happiness”
Yeung Wai-lun, “We Are Born Good”
Ethan Juan, “Arrested Memory”
Jack Tan, “Dead Tide”

Best Leading Actress
Angela Yuen, “Afterpiece”
Jennifer Yu, “Double Happiness”
Liang Cuishan, “Big Little Things”
Chung Suet-ying, “We Are Born Good”
Yeo Yann-yann, “We Are All Strangers”

Best Supporting Actor
Anson Kong Ip-sang, “We’re Nothing at All”
Berant Zhu, “Kung Fu”
Tin Kai-man, “Double Happiness”
Akira Huang, “Arrested Memory”
Andi Lim, “We Are All Strangers”

Best Supporting Actress
Audrey Lin, “Girl”
Mhia Firdaus, “Sayang”
Sun Jialing, “Big Little Things”
Judy Ongg, “Sunshine Women’s Choir”
Kearen Pang, “We Are Born Good”

Best New Director
Shu Qi, “Girl”
Priscilla Ang Geck-geck, “Ah Girl”
Shieh Meng-ju, “Mudborn”
Michelle Zhou, “Big Little Things”
Yeung Leung-chuen, “We Are Born Good”

Best New Performer
Bai Xiao-ying, “Girl”
Ong Xuan-jing, “Ah Girl”
Nandagopall Mohan, “Sayang”
Ho Man-xi, “Sunshine Women’s Choir”
Jaden Wang, “Will You Still Be My Friend”

Best Original Screenplay
Keane T.K Wong, “Afterpiece”
Kwok Ka-hei, Jack Lee Chun-kit, Ho Siu-hong, Choi Ka-hang, “Unidentified Murder”
Tang Hsiang-chu, “Sayang”
Hsieh Pei-ju, Joseph Hsu Chen-chieh, “Double Happiness”
Yeung Leung-chuen, Thomas, “We Are Born Good”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Ervin Han, Jordan Katherine See, “The Violinist”
Priscilla Ang Geck-geck, “Ah Girl”
Edmund Yeo, “The Age of Goodbyes”
Michelle Zhou, “Big Little Things”
Lu Po-shun, Chen Chia-ping, “Will You Still Be My Friend”

Best Cinematography
Yu Jing-pin, “Girl”
Chen Chi-wen, “The Age of Goodbyes”
Chen Ko-chin, “Double Happiness”
Jai Ip, “Arrested Memory”
Kartik Vijay, “Dead Tide”

Best Visual Effects
ArChin Yen, Chen Yen-ping, Tseng Huai-ju, Wayne Tseng, “Kung Fu”
Tomi Kuo, Ivan Lin, Hannah Han, “Sayang”
ArChin Yen, “Mudborn”
Evan Wen, Hu Hong-yu, Woody Yeh, Sean Tsai, “The Photo from 1977”
VT Chiew, Maxine Y.M. Tung, Xander Guo, Huang Min-pin, “Sinisusu Tua Pucumayan The Last Hunter”

Best Art Direction
Huang Mei-ching, Tu Shuo-feng, “Girl”
Wang Chih-cheng, Yang Ya-chun, Eitzel Chang, “Kung Fu”
Ray Tan, “The Age of Goodbyes”
Chen Po-jen, “Arrested Memory”
Soon Yong-chow, “Dead Tide”

Best Makeup & Costume Design
Hsu Li-wen, “Girl”
Karen Yip, Hsiao Pai-chen, Liu Hsien-chia, “Kung Fu”
Dora Ng, Kim Ng, “We Are Born Good”
Zoey Su, Emma Lin Yu-yun, “Arrested Memory”
Irin Lee, Red Ngoh, “We Are All Strangers”

Best Action Choreography
Teddy Ray Huang, “Dead End”
Chang Jae-wook, Kim Kyoung-woo, “Kung Fu”
Hung Shih-hao, “Mudborn”
Hung Shih-hao, Fan Keng-hua, Chen Ming-you, “Arrested Memory”

Best Film Editing
William Chang Suk-ping, Lai Kwun-tung, “Girl”
Chen Chun-hung, “Double Happiness”
Wenders Li, “We Are Born Good”
Matthieu Laclau, “Arrested Memory”
Chen Ho-ping, “We Are All Strangers”

Best Sound Effects
Wu Shu-yao, Tu Duu-chih, Tang Hsiang-chu, “Girl”
Eddie Huang Nien-yung, Chen Yi-ling, Wang Tzu-jou, Lo Song-ce, “The Canary’s Lullaby”
R.T Kao, Lee Yu-chih, Yang Jia-shen, Chen Jia-li, “Kung Fu”
Wu Shu-yao, Hsu Chiao-han, Liu Pei-min, “Sayang”
Patrick Tu, Tu Duu-chih, “Arrested Memory”

Best Original Film Score
Ricky Ho, Isabel Latorre Sáez, “The Violinist”
Lim Giong, “Girl”
Chris Hou, Sherwin Yang, eMMa Kao, William Huang, “Kung Fu”
Kin Leonn, Thomas Foguenne, “We Are All Strangers”
Katayama Ryota, “Dead Tide”

Best Original Film Song
“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” “Double Happiness” – lyrics, music and performance by 9m88
“Happiness Is Singing,” “Sunshine Women’s Choir” – lyrics by Gavin Lin, music by Ferry Lee, performed by A-Lin (Lisang Pacidal Koyouan)
“We Are Born Good,” “We Are Born Good” – lyrics by Morgan Cheung, music by Sara Fung, performed by Ian Hannz
“Stop Running,” “Arrested Memory” – lyrics and music by Tseng Kuo-hung, performed by Sunset Rollercoaster
“Gone With the Tide,” “Dead Tide” – lyrics by David Ke, music by Katayama Ryota, performed by Katayama Ryota and Hung Pei-yu