Renowned Taiwan director Hou Hsiao-hsien is one of two winners of this year’s career achievement award presented by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, spotlighting his contributions over 40 years in the cinema industry.
Describing Hou and the other honoree, U.S. singer and song writer Harry Belafonte, as consummate artists, LAFCA said the Taiwan director is now widely recognized as one of the world’s greatest, most influential filmmakers.
Hou’s films have won numerous international prizes, the association said, noting their artistry, narrative innovation and historical depth.
Hou is the first director from Taiwan to claim the LAFCA special award. Ang Lee earned best director in 2005 for his Oscar-winning “Brokeback Mountain,” while locally produced “Yi Yi: A One and a Two” by Edward Yang claimed best foreign-language film in 2000.
It is the second such honor for Hou this year following his lifetime achievement award at the 57th Golden Horse Awards Nov. 21 in Taipei City. Established in 1962, the GHA are widely considered the most prestigious prizes in the world of Chinese-language cinema.
The 73-year-old Hou received his first GHA in 1989 for directing “A City of Sadness,” which became the first motion picture from Taiwan to win a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival earlier the same year.
Hou has since won many accolades in his career, including the jury prize at France’s Cannes Film Festival in 1993 for “The Puppetmaster” and best director also at Cannes in 2015 for “The Assassin.” (SFC-E)
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