Golden Horse Film Awards vs. Hong Kong Film Awards is a series in which I examine films nominated and winning in any category at both awards ceremonies. I take the 34th Golden Horse Film Awards (GHFA) and the 17th Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) as my starting point. This way I begin the review with productions made shortly before the handover of Hong Kong to China and can trace the changing trends in its cinema up to the present day.

The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Awards are a prestigious film festival and the accompanying awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. The festival and ceremony were founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China on Taiwan and are now run as an independent organization. The awards ceremony usually takes place in November or December in Taipei, although the event has also been held elsewhere in Taiwan recently.

The Hong Kong Film Awards, established in 1982, are an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies usually take place in April and, since 1991, have been held mainly at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The awards honor achievements in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, acting, and cinematography. These awards are considered Hong Kong’s equivalent of the Oscars.