Takeshi Kaneshiro disqualified from Taiwan film awards

Saturday 01st November, 04:53 AM JST

TAIPEI —

The organizers of Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Awards on Friday disqualified actor Takeshi Kaneshiro from competing for a special prize recognizing local talent.

Kaneshiro, star of a string of successful Hong Kong movies including the critically acclaimed “Chungking Express” and more recently the epic “The Warlords,” had been nominated as Taiwanese filmmaker of the year.

But organizers of the awards said he was not eligible as he was a Japanese citizen.

“The jury is not sloppy in the nomination process ... although we revoke Mr Kaneshiro’s nomination, we still acknowledge his achievement in Chinese cinema,” they said in a statement defending the move.

Kaneshiro was born to a Japanese father and a Taiwanese mother and raised in Taiwan, but is a Japanese citizen.

The decision left only two nominees—director We Te-sheng of the hit romance “Cape No. 7” and veteran lighting designer Li Long-yu—vying for the Taiwanese filmmaker of the year award.

The Golden Horse Awards are styled on the U.S. Academy Awards but are decided by a jury along the lines of the Cannes film festival.

Wire reports

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11 Comments

Cos at 08:35 AM JST - 1st November

I don't see any common point between the Golden Horse jury and the free artistic festivals like in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, etc.

The Golden Horse started as a pure propaganda instrument, giving awards to pro-Taiwan cinema artists. They are demonstrating they have hardly changed. What is their aim here for nominating and them revoking ? Reviving old anti-Japanese sentiment ?
BlackFlag at 10:11 AM JST - 1st November

I had a Japanese acquaintance this week swear til blue in the face that Kaneshiro "is not Japanese", he got quite riled about it and wouldn't accept he was wrong. must be annoying for Kaneshiro to get dissed by both sides of his heritage
timeon at 02:42 PM JST - 1st November

well, when he applied for it he should have read the rules carefully. It happened to me last year, there was a great event(sharing one week with 5 Nobel prize winners) I wanted to attend, I was strongly recommended and practically I got it, when I saw the "Japanese nationality" condition written somewhere on that bunch of paperwork
Dezonly1 at 02:45 PM JST - 1st November

There goes those wacky japanese again. Kaneshiro is Half Okinawan (father) and Half Taiwanese (mother). Pro japanese and pro taiwanese not recognizing a person of mixed heritage go figure. LOLwalk...
ptolemy at 07:23 PM JST - 1st November

Isn't this award about the same as all the "Best (fill in the blank)-ist" awards here in Japan? It is nowhere close to the US Academy Awards which do not have a nationality rule, nor to the jury system of Cannes which is not comprised of racist, xenophobes. This is just another story highlighting a common thread in Asia, if you are not one of us, we want nothing to do with you.
OssanULTRA at 10:46 PM JST - 1st November

I had a Japanese acquaintance this week swear til blue in the face that >Kaneshiro "is not Japanese", he got quite riled about it and wouldn't >accept he was wrong. must be annoying for Kaneshiro to get dissed by >both sides of his heritage

That's interesting but I wouldn't use that example as a reflection on how everyone in Japan thinks. I have yet to meet any J-person who didn't consider Kaneshiro to be Japanese. At the very least he's a Japanese actor, which is interesting because in the special features of the DVD House of Flying Daggers (Lovers in Japan) he's introduced as a "Chinese Actor who is popular in Japan". A view that kinda dumps on both Taiwan and Japan in one shot.
judochick at 02:08 AM JST - 2nd November

awww i feel bad for him!!! he's hotter than all of those taiwanese actors anyways!!!
Nessie at 10:35 AM JST - 2nd November

“The jury is not sloppy in the nomination process ... although we revoke Mr Kaneshiro’s nomination, we still acknowledge his achievement in Chinese cinema,” they said in a statement defending the move.

The jury is sloppy in the defending process, however.
stanoue at 01:42 PM JST - 2nd November

It really is time for dual nationality to be introduced...
onewrldoneppl at 11:30 PM JST - 2nd November

how would dual nationality solve anything?
OssanUSA at 01:52 AM JST - 4th November

In this instance Dual nationality would have to be introduced in both Taiwan and Japan.