Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung Chiu-wai adds yet another feather to his cap. The actor will receive the Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement at the 80th Venice Film Festival. Leung becomes the third Hong Kong artist to bag this feat after directors Ann Hui and John Woo.
In addition to Tony Leung, the honour will be bestowed upon filmmaker Liliana Cavani, a trailblazing figure in Italian cinema. This year’s Venice Film Festival will take place from August 30 to September 9 at the Lido.
Venice Film Festival to honour Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung
For the unversed, three of Leung’s films previously received the Venice Golden Lion award, the highest prize at the festival. These include A City of Sadness, Cyclo and Lust, Caution. According to Variety, Leung said he’s “overwhelmed and honoured” with the news, adding that the award is a tribute to all the filmmakers he has worked with.
#LilianaCavani and #TonyLeungChiuWai are the Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement of the #BiennaleCinema2023! The director and the actor, who participated in the Festival with many unforgettable masterpieces, will receive the awards during #Venezia80 → https://t.co/cujpnfeUvk pic.twitter.com/KtZ0Ys3p7O
— La Biennale di Venezia (@la_Biennale) March 27, 2023
Venice director Alberto Barbera hailed Leung as “a charismatic performer” with an exceptional transitional career. Barbera added, “Not only have Tony Leung’s roles spanned a great variety of genres, but they also have bridged television, popular culture and art-cinema at different latitudes.”
Hong Kong Government congratulates Tony Leung
The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung, congratulated the superstar and also praised his “exquisite acting skills”. Yeung mentioned that the actor’s “endless pursuit of a higher level of artistic performance over the past few decades is an exemplar of Hong Kong actors’ spirit and Hong Kong’s cultural richness.”
Tony Leung has proved his acting mettle in many films, including In the Mood for Love, Happy Together as well as Marvel‘s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He has previously won the Best Actor accolade at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival. Furthermore, he bagged the ‘Asian Filmmaker of the Year’ recognition at the 27th Busan International Film Festival.
Recently, Tony Leung won his second AFA Best Actor prize for Where the Wind Blows. He also picked up an award for Asian Film Contribution at the 16th Asian Film Awards.
(Hero and feature image credits: tonyleung_official/ Instagram)
Kriti is a stay-at-home dog mama, whose knack for telling interesting stories keeps her erstwhile monotonous life sane. A literature & journalism degree holder, you'll find her binging on Agatha Christie novels while critiquing the everyday state of affairs. On Kriti's seldom social outings, she's seen devouring coffee sangria with appetizing bread on the side.
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