[2020.07.21] ANN HUI TO BECOME FIRST CHINESE FEMALE DIRECTOR TO RECEIVE VENICE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HONOR

courtesy of mingpao.com

The 77th Venice Film Festival yesterday announced that this year's lifetime achievement Golden Lion Award will go to Hong Kong director Ann Hui On Wa and English actress Tilda Swinton. Hui On Wa would be the first Chinese female director to receive this award. Chinese director John Woo (Ng Yu Sum) receive this honor in 2010.

The 73 year old Hui On Wa became the first female director to receive this award. She said, "I am so happy to receive the news and honored for the award! So happy that I feel I cannot find the words." Would she personally attend the film festival to accept the award? She said, "I would if the environment permits, right now the pandemic is rather serious in Hong Kong. I hope it will be better this month. I only hope that this world can recover as soon as possible. Everyone can be as happy as I am now!"

Hui On Wa has been in film and television for 45 years. As a representative of the "Hong Kong New Wave", Hui On Wa became an overnight sensation with the based on the real Lung Fu Shan murder THE SECRET (FUNG GIP, 1979). Her debut was nominated for the Golden Horse Awards and won three awards in a row. She has won three Golden Horse Best Director three years and the Hong Kong Film Award Best Director six times. Her achievements have long been recognized overseas and at home.

Hui On Wa has a connection with the Venice Film Festival. Her film SUMMER SNOW (NUI YUN SEI SUP) won Josephine Siao Fong Fong the Venice Best Actress. In 2011 with the film A SIMPLE LIFE (TOH JEH) she competed in the festival and won the Equal Opportunities Award, Signis Award -- Honorable Mention, and La Navicella Award. In 2014 she also served as the festival jury president.