Taiwanese-American filmmaker Ang Lee (李安) was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 77th Annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards on Saturday. Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊), lead actress of Lee’s 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, presented the award.
“This is the first time at this event I have to put on reading glasses, so I guess it is time for the Lifetime Achievement Award,” Lee said in his acceptance speech. “I have received many awards in my career, but this one is most special to me, because it comes from my beloved peers.”
“The fact that we can gather together in a difficult time to celebrate movies is very touching,” he added.
Photo: AFP
Lee told the story of his first invitation to the DGA awards in 1996, when the DGA president called to inform him of his nomination for directing the film Sense and Sensibility.
The president did not care that Lee was not a member of the guild, and asked him why he had not joined.
“Because you had ruled that the second meal cannot be Chinese food,” Lee said he had told her.
For the DGA president, that was all the more reason for Lee to join: so that he could create change.
Lee reminisced about his career, talking about the different kinds of films he has directed and the awards he won and lost.
“Regardless, I am always happy to be at this event, because it reminds me that despite the ups and downs, it is always worth it to keep chasing after your dreams,” he said.
Lee said his career has been a never-ending film school, as he has never stopped learning about making movies.
“I was born and raised in Taiwan, and it feels like a realization of the American dream to be here on this stage,” Lee said.
In related news, the stage adaptation of Life of Pi is coming to Taiwan in July, the National Theatre and Concert Hall (NTCH) said on Saturday.
Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, was adapted into a film by Lee in 2012, which won him an Oscar for best director, the NTCH said, adding that the film had grossed more than US$600 million at the box office.
Lee has praised the story as “a perfect blend of humanity, faith and adventure,” it said.
The stage adaptation of Life of Pi was performed on London’s West End in 2021 and on New York’s Broadway in 2023, and has won three Tony Awards, the NTCH said.
The play’s first stop would be the National Theater in Taipei, with performances running from July 17 to July 27, followed by performances at the National Taichung Theater from July 31 to Aug. 3, it said.
Tickets for the Taipei performances go on sale on April 8, with prices ranging from NT$800 to NT$6,600, it added.
Additional reporting by Ling Mei-hsueh
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
RSS