Legendary Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai received a Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award at the 80th Venice Film Festival on Saturday, September 2. It is clear that our city has nurtured film talents in spades, as Leung’s award comes hot on the heels of Andy Lau being honoured at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The 61-year-old Leung has now become the first Chinese actor to ever win this award at the Venice Film Festival. He became noticeably emotional as he received a lengthy standing ovation from attendees, wiping tears away before giving a heartfelt acceptance speech where he paid tribute to our city and the Hong Kong film industry.
“I am so grateful to have been raised in Hong Kong, as well as being nurtured later by the Hong Kong movie industry in general, where my acting career began,” Leung stated during his speech. “I also want to share this honour and give thanks to all those wonderful people who I have worked with over the past 41 years, because this is a tribute to them as well – and of course, to Hong Kong cinema.”
This lifetime achievement award was presented to Leung by the acclaimed director Ang Lee – which was especially fitting because the pair had worked together in the 2007 film Lust, Caution, which won a Golden Lion for Best Picture. Two other films starring Leung, A City of Sadness and Cyclo, also won Best Picture awards at the Venice Film Festival.
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