In 2007, the Golden Horse International Film Festival in Taiwan joined the alliance of the Asian Film Napike Awards and awarded the so-called "Napike Awards" to encourage emerging directors from all over Asia. Currently, it is the only film festival in Taiwan that awards Napike Awards. What is the Napike Award? In fact, its full name is NETPAC (The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award, which originated in India in 1990, with the aim of bringing Asian films and filmmakers to the front of the world. As the only pan-Asian organization specializing in promoting films, the Napike Awards spared no effort to discover Asian directors.
Past winners include Hou Hsiao-hsien, Tsai Ming-liang, Guan Jinpeng, Xu Anhua, Jia Zhangke, Mandoza, and Kim Jide, and they are all among photo background removing contemporary filmmakers. The master of Napike's vision is indeed forward-looking. For the detailed context of the Napike Award, please refer to this article "What is the "Napike Award" that Hou Hsiao-hsien, Cai Mingliang and other masters have won? Demystifying the Golden Horse Film Festival and the Asian Film Promotion Alliance" . This article will introduce another group that is closely related to the Napike Awards but is relatively independent, the "Asian Film Observation Group" (hereinafter referred to as the Asian Film Group).
In 2015, under the promotion of Wen Tianxiang, the executive director of the Golden Horse Film Festival, a public recruitment of film critic writers, amateur film critics or ordinary film fans who love films was made, and about 20 to 23 people were selected to form a "sub-view group", which will be shared with the Napike Award winners. Just like the jury, after watching the shortlisted films of the Napike Awards, they will hold a meeting to select and issue the "Asian Film Observer Group's Recommendation Award", which is an extra-conference award of the "Napike Awards", making the Golden Horse Film Festival different from other film festivals.