Zhang Yimou To Receive Two Career Honors At The Asian Film Awards 

Veteran Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou will receive both the Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2023 Highest-Grossing Asian Film Award for his last feature Full River Red at this week’s Asian Film Awards. 

The Asian Film Awards body has said the two awards are a “testament to Zhang’s extraordinary achievements but also to his continued success.” He was last feted by the awards body in 2021 when he picked up best director for One Second. In 2010 he was also handed the Asian Film Contribution Award. 

Widely credited as one of the central figures of China’s Fifth Generation Cinema, Zhang made his directorial debut with Red Sorghum (1987). Since then, he has tackled a wide range of film genres in work like The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), To Live (1994), The Road Home (1999), House of Flying Daggers (2004), The Great Wall (2016) and Cliff Walkers (2021). Full River Red was released during the 2023 Chinese New Year and was the highest-ranking 2023 Chinese film in the country. 

“I consider myself very fortunate to have chosen filmmaking as my lifelong profession. Having been in the industry for over four decades, I am grateful to everyone who appreciates my films,” he said of his two honors, which he will pick up in person. 

“Thank you for your enduring support and encouragement. I will keep learning and strive to surpass myself. Always having anticipations for the future, I hope that my best film will be my next one.”

The Asian Film Awards take place March 10.