The Violinist, the Singapore-led animated feature co-directed by Ervin Han, goes into the 63rd Golden Horse Awards in Taipei on Sunday, 22 November 2026 with three nominations. For Singapore readers, it’s a homegrown animated film competing at Taiwan’s top film awards, and the results arrive in under two weeks.
The Nominations
The Violinist is up for Best Animated Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Film Score. That’s a spread worth noticing, because the nominations reward the animation, the writing, and the music separately.
The animation nod is the headline one. Even so, a screenplay nomination for an animated film carries weight of its own, since it puts the story itself up against the writing in other films.
Annecy and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards
The Golden Horse nominations close a busy year for the film. The Violinist recently won Best Animated Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA).
Put those together and the film reaches Taipei with a double win at Annecy and a Best Animated Film award from the Asia Pacific Screen Awards already behind it.
The People Behind the Strings
Besides Ervin Han, the film’s publicists name two other key creatives. Joy Yong is the film’s lead violinist, and Ricky Ho is its composer.
With a violinist in its core team and a composer among its nominees, music runs right through the film. In a film like this, the score is the story, not background noise.
The Category Worth Watching
Best Animated Feature will get the attention, and fair enough, since a win there would be the cleanest proof that Singapore animation can compete in Asia. The category to keep an eye on is Best Original Film Score.
The reasoning is simple. If a Golden Horse jury wants to reward what makes The Violinist distinct, the score is the most direct way to do it.
Best Adapted Screenplay is the outside chance worth rooting for. A win there would mean the jury rated the film’s storytelling, which is a rarer compliment for an animated feature.
Why It Matters Here
Singapore has a small, determined film scene, and it’s having a strong Golden Horse year. Another Singaporean film is in the running too, as covered in our earlier Golden Horse piece. That gives local viewers more than one reason to follow the ceremony.
For anyone eyeing a creative career, The Violinist is a useful case study. It shows that an animated feature with a Singaporean story can win prizes at Annecy and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and still be in contention in Taipei.
If you’re new to awards season, the Golden Horse runs a lot like the big Western shows. Our Oscars 2024 recap gives a decent sense of how the nominee lists, envelopes, and speeches tend to play out.
The Details
🗓️ Date: Sunday, 22 November 2026
📍 Location: Taipei, Taiwan
🏆 Event: 63rd Golden Horse Awards
🎬 Nominations: Best Animated Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Film Score
🎻 Key creatives: Co-Director Ervin Han, Lead Violinist Joy Yong, and Composer Ricky Ho
🥇 Already won: Best Animated Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and a double win at Annecy 2026
Whatever happens in Taipei, The Violinist has already shown how far a Singaporean story can travel when its makers aim beyond home. Mark Sunday, 22 November 2026 in your calendar, keep an eye on that Best Original Film Score announcement, and get ready to cheer if a Singapore-born violin story takes home a Golden Horse!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Robot Playground Media.
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