Hollywood awards season is upon us! The Golden Globes already came and went quietly this year following NBC’s decision not to air the awards show amidst ongoing controversies with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Over the next few months, there are expected to be numerous other awards shows, including the Academy Awards, scheduled for March 27th.
Today, Gold House and CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) revealed their 2022 Gold List, to honor and celebrate outstanding Asian filmmakers and talent, as well as to help ensure that they are given proper exposure and consideration in an industry that continues to overlook diverse talent.
Like it or not, Hollywood awards mean something, both within the industry and to the general public. When a studio is able to attach “Academy Award Nominee” or “Golden Globe Winner” to its films and talent, people take notice. And with those accolades, diverse talent are able to get the kind of attention from executives that they otherwise might not. That’s why a small fortune is spent on elaborate “for your consideration” campaigns to sway awards voters.
Of course, like too many other areas, diverse talent is often left without the resources or support for such campaigns. Thankfully, Gold House and CAPE have stepped up to fill that void with 2022 Gold List.
Highlights of the Gold List include Hidetoshi Nishijima honored for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the Japanese film Drive My Car, which was also awarded Best Adapted Screenplay, the animated film Flee winning Best Original Screenplay, Raya and the Last Dragon honored for Best Animated Feature, Gemma Chan winning Best Actress in a Leading Role for Eternals, and Destin Daniel Cretton winning Best Director for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which also won Best Picture.
The selections were made from top Asian leaders and creatives in Hollywood, including the Gold Open Advisory Council, Gold House Members, and CAPE Board Members and Advisors.
Check out the full list of winners and honorable mentions below and hopefully we will see many of these films and talent recognized again in the coming months!
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GOLD HOUSE & CAPE LAUNCH 2022 GOLD LIST TO SPOTLIGHT ASIAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN FILM AS AWARDS SEASON TAKES OFF
Los Angeles, CA – Gold House and CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) are launching the 2022 Gold List to highlight outstanding work by Asian filmmakers and talent in the past year to ensure they receive due recognition ahead of the high-profile awards race.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings leads with wins for Best Picture, Director (Destin Daniel Cretton), Supporting Actor (Tony Leung), and Supporting Actress (Awkwafina), while Japanese film Drive My Car, animated documentary Flee, and independent fantasy film The Green Knight were recognized across multiple categories as well.
Gold List spans 13 categories (including two new categories since the inaugural 2021 list) and serves as an extension of the successful #GoldOpen movement, which propels multicultural films to the top of the box office, including hits like Crazy Rich Asians and Parasite. While notable Asian-helmed films have reached massive commercial success (4 of the top 10 movies at the 2021 domestic box office were led by Asian writer-directors), the future of these films continuing to be greenlit also relies on creative acclaim—which has been glaringly lacking for Asian projects and their creators.
Chloé Zhao’s and Yuh-jung Youn’s historic wins at the Academy Awards last year demonstrated the long overdue need for Asian representation at major awards. Zhao was the first woman of color (and second woman ever) to win Best Director in the Academy Awards’ 93-year history. Youn was the first Asian actress to win an Academy Award in over 6 decades—and became only the fourth performer of Asian descent ever to win an acting Academy Award. Steven Yuen, who starred in Minari alongside Youn, became the first Asian American to be nominated for Best Actor.
Yet, current awards buzz does not reflect much growing momentum coming off last year’s forward strides, especially in the “Big Five” categories (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay). A notable example is seen with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which was the 2nd highest grossing domestic release in 2021 and holds one of the highest Rotten Tomatoes scores for a superhero movie. The film was a resounding success both commercially and critically but—outside of People’s Choice Awards—has yet to be meaningfully embraced by awards voters as a serious contender.
“Many Asian-led films, particularly independent films, don’t receive budgets or backing to run expensive For Your Consideration campaigns—or benefit from certain levels of access that are essential in ensuring nominations and eventual wins. Gold List, voted on by top Asian leaders and creatives in Hollywood—celebrates our community’s most outstanding achievements in the film industry and encourages voters to Consider Gold. In another pandemic year when so much gets lost and blended together, it’s even more imperative that we help worthy art break out,” said Jeremy Tran, Executive Director of Gold House
“From elevating writers and creative executives, we’ve been focused on systemic changes that enable great creativity. But that’s only half the battle—we must also ensure that our projects are recognized, particularly in forums where our communities have often been overlooked. We hope the Gold List prompts voters to consider Asian films and creatives when deciding awards recognition,” said Michelle K. Sugihara, Executive Director of CAPE.
Prominent leaders from the Gold Open Advisory Council, Gold House Members, CAPE Board Members and Advisors, and entertainment industry heavyweights consist of the Gold List voting body.
The full list of Gold List selections are below:
Best Picture
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Honorable Mentions: Drive My Car and The Green Knight
Best Director
Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
Honorable Mentions: Cary Joji Fukunaga (No Time To Die) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car)
Honorable Mentions: Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and Dev Patel (The Green Knight)
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Gemma Chan (Eternals)
Honorable Mentions: Patti Harrison (Together Together) and Maggie Q (The Protégé)
Best Supporting Actor in a Supporting Role
Tony Leung (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
Honorable Mentions: Benedict Wong (Nine Days) and Steven Yeun (The Humans)
Best Supporting Actress in a Supporting Role
Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
Honorable Mentions: Sarita Choudhury (The Green Knight) and Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections)
Best Original Screenplay
Flee
Honorable Mentions: Nine Days and Raya and the Last Dragon
Best Adapted Screenplay
Drive My Car
Honorable Mentions: Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Best Animated Feature
Raya and the Last Dragon
Honorable Mentions: Belle and Flee
Best Documentary Feature
The Rescue
Honorable Mentions: Ascension and Flee
Best Animated Short
Namoo
Honorable Mentions: Step Into The River and Us Again
Best Live Action Short
The Long Goodbye
Honorable Mentions: Americanized and The Little Prince(ss)
Breakout Independent Film
India Sweets and Spices
For more information about Gold List, visit goldopen.com/goldlist.
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ABOUT GOLD HOUSE
Gold House is the leading API changemaker community, fighting together for socioeconomic equity. We transform the public narrative through innovative programs that champion authentic API representation and accelerate API success. To learn more, visit www.goldhouse.org or follow @GoldHouseCo on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
ABOUT CAPE
CAPE is the premier non-profit organization creating opportunities and driving change for Asian and Pacific Islander (API) success in Hollywood. We work to shift culture through storytelling to create a better world. For the past 30 years, we have fought for API representation in film and television, because what we watch on our screens should reflect the world in which we live and project a better one. CAPE advances representation for APIs in Hollywood through three main verticals: (1) nurturing and engaging creative talent and executive leadership; (2) providing cultural script consulting and talent referrals; and (3) championing projects for critical box office and streaming success. Follow @capeusa on Instagram and Twitter or visit our website at capeusa.org.
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
