Golden Horse Awards 2019: Yeo Yann Yann Wins Best Actress For Anthony Chen's Wet Season

Two Singapore films took home three coveted awards at the 56th Golden Horse Awards held last night (Nov 23) at Taipei’s Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

Yeo Yann Yann was named Best Actress for her performance as a Chinese language teacher weathering an emotional storm in Anthony Chen’s Wet Season, while Yeo Siew Hua’s missing-persons crime noir A Land Imagined bagged Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score.

In her acceptance speech, a teary Yeo thanked her director Chen and cast-mates Yang Shi Bing and Koh Jia Ler (both Best Supporting Actor nominees) as well as late mentor and theatre pioneer Kuo Pao Kun. The Singapore-based Malaysian had previously won Best Supporting Actress for Ilo Ilo in 2013.

Later in a backstage interview, Yeo said, “I think I forgot to thank my family. I want to thank my family in Malaysia and Singapore. Without their support, I wouldn’t have achieved what I’ve achieved. Also, please Singapore audiences, please support our film in the cinemas!”

She added, “I also want to thank all the women in the world — your perseverance and kindness will forever inspire me.”

Elsewhere, filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua was visibly shocked when he picked up Best Original Screenplay for A Land Imagined, a noir thriller starring Peter Yu as an insomniac detective searching for a missing migrant worker. The film's music by Teo Wei Yong was also singled out for Best Original Score.

In a Whatsapp interview with 8days.sg, Yeo, 34, says, “I was just shocked to say the least. I don’t think it was expected for a film with unconventional storytelling to win Best Screenplay and also a topic that is quite specific to the Singapore context to resonate with an audience there. So yes, shocked, and overjoyed, of course.”

And perhaps a little jet-lagged too: Yeo had just flown in for the ceremony from South America. “I have been touring with the film for a long time,” he says. “Although, my body is getting a beating for it but ultimately if you love your film, you will do whatever it takes to help it grow and prosper.”

Did he have an out-of-body experience, like the one Peter Yu’s sleep-deprived detective had in A Land Imagined, while giving his acceptance speech? “Yeah, the shifting time zones did mess up my sleep patterns but I guess I didn’t have to run on the treadmill to tire myself out. I’m just happy I got to meet my audience from different time zones and that’s worth everything.”

The film, which was also nominated for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Effects, was released in cinemas in February and is currently available on Netflix. For those who want to catch A Land Imagined, which is Singapore’s entry to the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature, on the big screen, here’s a piece of good news: it’ll be re-released at Cathay Cineplexes on Nov 28.

Right now, Yeo is developing his follow-up feature, Stranger Eyes, another crime noir but this time involving scam artists and identity thefts. “We’re aiming to get it into production by next year. Dreams take time…”

The big winners of this year's Golden Horse Awards were A Sun and Detention. The former, a family drama, received five awards, including Best Narrative Feature, while the latter, a video game-inspired horror, scored five, including Best New Director.

Click here for the full list of winners.

Wet Season opens in cinemas Nov 28; A Land Imagined is now streaming on Netflix and will be re-released in cinemas Nov 28.

Photos: Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee, MM2, Giraffe Pictures