Asian Film Awards honor Zhang Yimou, Pema Tseden

Veteran director Zhang Yimou received the highest honor of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District on Sunday and expressed his gratitude and wish to tell more Asian stories to the world through film.

“Asian films are playing an important role in the current world, and many Asian filmmakers are chasing their dreams. … I hope this award is not the end, but a starting point for us to chase our dreams and continue to work hard to tell our Asian stories to the world,” he said during the ceremony.

He also earned the award for the 2023 Highest-grossing Asian Film Award with his film “Full River Red.”

Zhang, 73, has directed a total of 28 movies with a cumulative box office of more than 14 billion yuan (US$1.9 billion), according to Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan. He also directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, showcasing China’s unique aesthetics to the world, and is honored by Chinese netizens as “one of the most influential directors in China. “

Another highlight of the film award was the honor bestowed upon late director Pema Tseden (1969-2023) whose film “Snow Leopard” won the Best Screenplay (Pema Tseden) and Best Cinematography (Matthias Delvaux).

The movie tells the story of how humans and nature can get along with each other, and the director’s son Jigme Trinley, who executive-directed the movie, said that “Snow Leopard” is a breakthrough in the sequence of Pema Tseden’s movies, and the audience can feel the hope of love in the cold tone, as well as the director’s new understanding of life and the Tibetan culture.

“Snow Leopard” won the Tokyo Grand Prix at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival last year.

The media reported a total of 35 films from 24 countries and regions having been shortlisted for 16 awards at the Asian Film Awards.

The Asian Film Awards was founded in 2007 as the first Asian film award organized by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, and since 2014, it has been hosted by the Asian Film Awards Academy. (Global Times)