KUALA LUMPUR: Filmmaker Jin Ong is ecstatic that his first film Abang Adik has received seven nominations for the upcoming 60th Taipei Golden Horse Awards show.
In a news report today, Ong said he was hoping for only three nominations and did not expect for the film to bag as many as it turned out.
"To be nominated at such a prestigious event is a dream come true. I'm totally grateful that our hard work had managed to attract the jurors' attention.
"The success of a film is definitely not through the work of a single individual, but rather a collective effort of everyone involved," he said in the report.
Ong added that being nominated is already a big achievement for him as the awards show is equivalent to the Oscars for filmmakers who produce films in Chinese.
While he was nominated for Best New Film Director, other nominations from the film are for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best New Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Makeup & Costume.
The awards gala night will take place at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan on Nov 25.
The film had previously received various awards at international film festivals including Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland; Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy; New York Asian Film Festival; and First International Film Festival in China.
The film will also open in local cinemas on Dec 14.