This year’s Busan International Film Festival has named Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui as the recipient of the Camellia Award, presented to filmmakers who have made significant contributions to elevating the status of women in the film industry.
Hui was a leading figure in the Hong Kong New Wave as a director, screenwriter and producer, making her directing debut with The Secret in 1979. She has continued making films consistently since then, building a body of work that includes 27 feature films and two feature-length documentaries, including multiple award winner A Simple Life, which won Best Actress at the Venice film festival for Deanie Ip’s performance in 2011.
Along the way, she has also won Best Director winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards six times and Best Director winner at the Golden Horse Awards three times. Both A Simple Life and Summer Snow (1995) achieved the rare feat of sweeping Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Hui has also been presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2012 Asian Film Awards, Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at Busan film festival in 2014, and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival.
“Underlying Hui’s remarkable career and international acclaim is a singular cinematic vision rooted in compassion and humanity, one that has long captured the complexities of Hong Kong society and the spirit of its times,” said Busan film festival in a statement.
“Spanning a wide range of genres, her films chronicle the everyday lives of ordinary people while weaving intimate personal stories into broader social realities. Her nuanced portrayals of women, particularly those often pushed to the margins, have resonated deeply with audiences across cultures and generations.”
Hui commented on the award: “In my previous years I felt unwilling to receive such taking-stock prizes because I wished to continue making movies. Now that I’m nearly eighty and find it difficult to make a film, I think the prize comes just in time for me to appreciate it more.”
She added, “I am so happy to return to Busan and meet an audience that is among the most savvy and cinematically literate in the world.”
Busan partnered with Chanel to establish the award, named after Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite flower, which was last year awarded to Taiwanese actress, director and producer Sylvia Chang.
This year’s Camellia Award will be presented at Busan’s opening ceremony on October 6. As previously announced, the festival has also named Michelle Yeoh as this year’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year.
