M’sian director wins at Golden Horse Awards

A MALAYSIAN was named the Best New Director at Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Horse Awards, China Press reported.

Lau Kok Rui (pic), 32, also won the Best Original Screenplay award for his movie The Sunny Side Of The Street.

The film centres on the friendship between a taxi driver and a 10-year-old Pakistani refugee boy.

Both his Golden Horse awards, often called the Oscars of the Chinese-language cinema, came as a surprise to him, said Lau.

The filmmaker expressed disbelief when interviewed by Taiwanese media on Saturday, saying that he did not expect to win as the competition was stiff.

“Kai Ko (the award presenter) even gave me a hug and congratulated me,” he added.

The Sunny Side Of The Street earned six nominations earlier for Best Leading Actor, Best Narrative Feature, Best New Director, Best New Performer, Best Cinematography and Best Original Screenplay.

Lau, who began his career making documentaries, dedicated the awards to his mentors who had guided him and taught him how to write a good script.

“Without them, this film would not have been completed,” he said.

Now based in Hong Kong, Lau said his next film would be a story about Malaysia.

“(I want to) return to things that are closer to my roots,” he said.

> The daily also reported that king of Mandopop Jay Chou, who picked up golfing as a new hobby, was seen teeing off with professional golfer Yani Tseng.

He posted a photo on Instagram of himself with Tseng at a golf course. In a video he shared online, Chou was seen making Tseng laugh with a joke.

“You know what your problem is? You play too well and everyone behind you is so nervous,” he quipped.

Tseng, 33, is a Taiwanese professional golfer playing on the Us-based LPGA Tour.

She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships. Between 2011 and 2013, she was ranked No. 1 in the women’s world golf rankings for 109 consecutive weeks.

Chou’s fans were amazed that he picked up the game quickly.

“There is nothing big brother doesn’t know!” a fan commented.