PUBLISHED ONOctober 02, 2026 6:53 AMUPDATEDOctober 02, 2026 7:46 AMBYYeo Shu HuiFive local films have placed Singapore on the international stage again, securing 15 nominations in total at the upcoming 63rd Golden Horse Awards.
The nominations were announced in Taipei yesterday (Oct 1) with We Are All Strangers, Ah Girl, The Violinist, as well as short films Buah and She Said mentioned.
We Are All Strangers, which is the final movie in Anthony Chen's Growing Up trilogy following Ilo Ilo (2013) and Wet Season (2019), is nominated for seven awards — Best Narrative Feature Film, Best Director, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Makeup & Costume Design, Best Original Film Score and Best Film Editing.
On the nomination, the 42-year-old director-writer said in a press release yesterday: "Returning to the Golden Horse with our final chapter of our trilogy after the multiple nominations and wins for both Ilo Ilo and Wet Season is a meaningful full-circle moment.
"(Yeo) Yann Yann has given these films three entirely different women, each brought to life with incredible depth. I'm also very happy for Andi (Lim), this feature debut is the culmination of so many years of hard work.
"I'm deeply thankful for all recognition the Growing Up trilogy has received over the years, but nothing beats having Singapore audiences discover a film that was made for and about them. This is our story, and I sincerely hope audiences here will catch it on the big screen and support Singapore cinema."
The film centres on Lim Junyang (Koh Jia Ler) and his hawker father Boon Kiat (Andi), whose lives unravel when the young man and his girlfriend Lydia (Regene Lim) are forced to confront unexpected adult realities.
Their household core relationship dynamics are further disrupted when vivacious beer lady Lee Bee Hwa (Yann Yann) joins their family.
The 49-year-old veteran actress, who won Best Supporting Actress at Golden Horse Awards in 2013 for Ilo Ilo and Best Leading Actress at the 2019 edition for Wet Season. also said in the release: "I'm deeply grateful to receive another Golden Horse Awards nomination and truly honoured to be recognised alongside such phenomenal actors.
"After the recognition for Ilo Ilo and Wet Season, it means a great deal to return to the Golden Horse Awards with this film. I'm grateful that the characters I've had the privilege of playing have continued to resonate with audiences."
Andi, 53, who is nominated in the awards for the first time, shared: "Anthony gave me a very different relationship with the camera from what I had been used to.
"I never imagined my first feature would lead to a Golden Horse nomination. More than anything, I'm grateful to the cast, especially Yann Yann, Jia Ler and Regene, for making me feel like I belonged in this family from the very beginning."
We Are All Strangers is showing in Singapore cinemas.
Ah Girl is nominated for Best New Director, Best New Performer and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Director-screenwriter Ang Geck Geck Priscilla shared in a press release yesterday: "To be recognised by the Golden Horse Awards alongside such inspiring filmmakers is an incredible honour.
"This story comes from a deeply personal place, and seeing how warmly audiences and juries across the region have connected with Ah Girl means everything to our cast and crew."
The films, set in 1990s Singapore, follows seven-year-old Ah Girl (Ong Xuan Jing) as she starts primary school while navigating the chaotic, fragmented world created by her parents' separation.
Forced to mature far too quickly amid shifting family dynamics, she faces a pivotal choice between her parents against the backdrop of an ever-changing home life.
Xuan Jing is nominated for Best New Performer.
The film will be shown in Singapore cinemas on Nov 19.
The Violinist secured nominations for Best Animated Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Film Score.
The story follows childhood friends and aspiring violinists Fei and Kai whose music dreams are shattered when Japan invaded Malaya and Singapore in late 1941.
The film is now showing in Singapore cinemas.
Buah and She Said are both nominated in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
Directed by Lim Jen Nee, Buah (fruit in Malay) is set in a time and place where abortion is illegal and centres on Siti (Tysha Khan), whose repeated attempts to end her pregnancy fail until she meets a carefree bus driver.
She Said is directed by local lecturer Ivan Tan, which tells the story of Ling (Fan Bingbing) who recounts her past as a love scam caller on the day she was proposed to.
The 63rd Golden Horse Awards ceremony will take place on Nov 22.
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