Taiwanese director Wang Toon (王童) and Hong Kong martial arts actor Jimmy Wang (王羽), whose combined careers span more than a century, are to receive Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 56th Golden Horse Awards in November, organizers said on July 26.
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee in a statement commended the pair’s dedication to the film industry.
Wang Toon has won six Golden Horse awards: best color film art design for Feng Yeh Ching (楓葉情) in 1976; best clothing design for All the King’s Men (天下第一) in 1983; best art direction and best clothing design for Run Away (策馬入林) in 1985; and best director for Strawman (稻草人) in 1987 and Hill of No Return (無言的山丘) in 1992, the statement said.
The first film that Wang Toon directed, If I Were for Real (假如我是真的), was named best feature film in 1981, the statement said.
Wang Toon’s career started when he began working for Central Motion Picture Co in 1966, where he started in an entry-level position at the company’s film studio, working his way to become head of the studio, the statement said.
He has directed numerous movies that have helped shape the industry as well as promote film studies, it said.
Jimmy Wang, who shot to stardom following the 1967 film One-Armed Swordsman (獨臂刀), started acting in 1963 and was nominated for best leading actor for his role in Shou Tsu Ching Shen (手足情深) in 1978, best supporting actor for Wu Xia (武俠) in 2011 and best leading actor for Soul (失魂) in 2013, it said.
Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee (李安) said in the statement that Jimmy Wang not only set the bar for action stars, but is also a pioneer of martial arts films.
“His starred and directed The Chinese Boxer (龍虎鬥) started the genre of martial arts films even before Bruce Lee (李小龍), inspiring many who followed and moviegoers around the world,” Lee said.
The nomination list for the 56th Golden Horse Awards is to be announced on Oct. 1, while the ceremony is to be held on Nov. 23 at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.
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