“Meaningful as I approach my 80s” Hong Kong master Ann Hui wins the Camellia Award at the Busan International Film Festival

A living legend of Asian cinema takes home the Camellia Award in Busan

This year’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) pays deep tribute to a maestro who has left a distinct footprint on the Asian film industry. It is Director Ann Hui (Hui Koon-wa·79), who led Hong Kong’s golden age of film and opened new horizons for women’s storytelling, that takes center stage. The festival’s secretariat officially announced on the 11th that it has selected him as the sole recipient of this year’s ‘Camellia Award’, given to filmmakers who help raise the stature of women within the film industry.

Since debuting in 1979 with the feature ‘The Secret of Feng-ge’, Director Ann Hui has demonstrated sharp insight that cuts across the eras, directing 27 feature films and two documentaries. In particular, her signature works—‘The Ballad of Love and Sorrow’ (1995) and ‘Simple Life’ (2011)—set a rare record at the Hong Kong Film Awards, sweeping major categories from Best Picture to Best Actor and Best Actress. This underscores that she is not just a director, but a ‘cinéaste’ representing Asia.

For Ann Hui, who previously won the 2014 BIFF ‘Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award’ and the 2020 Venice International Film Festival ‘Honorary Golden Lion Award’ (lifetime achievement), this Camellia Award carries special meaning. Hui recalled, “In the past, I wasn’t keen on receiving an award that felt like it was summing up my film life, driven by my desire to keep making films ahead.” She added, “Before I knew it, I’ve reached an age where I’m looking toward my eighties, and as making films has become increasingly less easy at this point in time, receiving this award makes me feel even more deeply moved,” sharing her heartfelt remarks.

Amid the vast spectacle of Asian cinema, this year’s Busan International Film Festival will put on a grand show for 10 days from Oct. 6 through Oct. 15 at the area around the Busan Cinema Center. The Camellia Award ceremony honoring Ann Hui’s great journey in film is expected to be held solemnly yet splendidly on the festival’s opening ceremony stage.