November 13: Arrested Memory, directed by Japan’s SABU and starring Ethan Juan, goes into this year’s Golden Horse Awards with 11 nominations, the most of any film. Close behind with 10 is Girl, the first film directed by the star actress Shu Qi. The 63rd Golden Horse Awards, the leading prizes for Chinese-language cinema, will be presented in Taipei on Sunday, November 22.
Key highlights
- Ceremony: Sunday, November 22, 2026, at the Taipei Music Center.
- Front-runners: Arrested Memory (11 nominations), Girl (10), Double Happiness and We Are Born Good (9 each).
- Shu Qi: nominated for Best New Director for Girl, which is also up for Best Narrative Feature.
- Lifetime Achievement Award: director Yu Kan-ping.
- India time: red carpet at 2:30 pm IST and ceremony at 4:00 pm IST, with a free YouTube stream for viewers outside Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.
Our calculation: who has the most nominations
| Film | Nominations | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Arrested Memory | 11 | Narrative Feature, Director (SABU), Leading Actor (Ethan Juan) |
| Girl | 10 | Narrative Feature, New Director (Shu Qi), Supporting Actress (Audrey Lin) |
| Double Happiness | 9 | Narrative Feature, Director (Joseph Hsu Chen-chieh), Leading Actor and Leading Actress |
| We Are Born Good | 9 | Narrative Feature, Leading Actor, Leading Actress, New Director |
| Kung Fu | 8 | Leading Actor (Leon Dai), Visual Effects, Action Choreography |
| We Are All Strangers | 7 | Narrative Feature, Director (Anthony Chen), Leading Actress (Yeo Yann-yann) |
The main races
Best Narrative Feature: Girl, Double Happiness, We Are Born Good, Arrested Memory and We Are All Strangers.
Best Director: Herman Yau (We’re Nothing at All), Edmund Yeo (The Age of Goodbyes), Joseph Hsu Chen-chieh (Double Happiness), SABU (Arrested Memory) and 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) and 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) and Yeo Yann-yann (We Are All Strangers).
Shu Qi, from star to director
Shu Qi, born in Taiwan and one of the best-known faces in Chinese-language film, is competing behind the camera this year. Her debut feature Girl is nominated in 10 categories, including Best New Director for her and Best New Performer for Bai Xiao-ying. The Best New Director field also includes Priscilla Ang Geck-geck (Ah Girl), Shieh Meng-ju (Mudborn), Michelle Zhou (Big Little Things) and Yeung Leung-chuen (We Are Born Good).
A regional contest, not only a Taiwanese one
The nominee list stretches across Asia. The film with the most nominations has a Japanese director. Singapore’s Anthony Chen is in the running for both film and director with We Are All Strangers, and two more Singapore-linked titles, Ah Girl and the animated The Violinist, have three nominations each. Malaysia’s Edmund Yeo is up for Best Director, and Hong Kong is represented by Herman Yau and by actors Angela Yuen, Jennifer Yu and Chung Suet-ying.
How to watch from India
| Event | Taipei time | India time (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| Red carpet | 5:00 pm | 2:30 pm |
| Awards ceremony | 6:30 pm | 4:00 pm |
The organisers say the ceremony will be broadcast live in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. Viewers elsewhere, including India, can watch the live stream on the festival’s and broadcaster TTV’s YouTube channels.
What it means for India and Asia
The Golden Horse Awards are open to Chinese-language films, so Indian titles do not compete. For Indian viewers they work as a guide to the Chinese-language films worth looking out for at festivals and on streaming services. This year’s list also shows how much Asian cinema now works across borders, with Japanese, Singaporean, Malaysian and Hong Kong talent sharing one ballot in Taipei.
What to watch
- Whether Arrested Memory turns its 11 nominations into the top prize.
- Whether Shu Qi wins Best New Director with her first film.
- The Lifetime Achievement Award for Yu Kan-ping and the Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year award for Moya Chou.
Shu Qi at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Image: Gabriel Hutchinson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo source · Licence
Sources
- Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival: 63rd Golden Horse Awards nominees
- Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival: 63rd Golden Horse Awards ceremony information
The Entertainment Desk covers cinema from India, Asia and Hollywood: releases, box office, awards and festivals, reported from official announcements. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
