Johnny Depp and Mel Gibson are among the Hollywood celebrities expected to turn up at China’s Huading Awards, which land in Los Angeles this week.
The ceremony to be held at the Ace Hotel in Downtown L.A. on Thursday (Dec. 15) will see prizes presented in 11 categories. These include best global picture, best global newcomer and best global action choreography.
The awards were set up by the Tianxia Yingcai Cultural Media company and are held more frequently than traditional annual events. This week’s event is the 21st Huading Awards since they were established in 2007. It is the second time that the awards have taken place in Hollywood’s home town, after a previous visit in 2014.
"Los Angeles is where film culture originated from. So being here helps us to build the authority of the Huading Awards,” said awards founder Wang Haige. “And besides, it is good to return after two years.”
The nominations are selected by a jury. The award winners are voted for by Chinese audiences voting online through the Huading website and major third party platforms such as Sina.com.
As such, they appear to reflect a Chinese view of western stardom. Matt Damon – who soon appears in upcoming Chinese-U.S. co-production “The Great Wall” — is nominated for “The Martian.” The 2015 film, which portrays Chinese scientists helping to save the American astronauts and which secured finance from China’s Bona Film Group, receives nominations in five categories.
Other Western celebrities tipped to attend include Wiz Khalifa, Sylvester Stallone, Bryce Dallas Howard and Hilary Swank.