Venice Honors: Tony Leung’s Enduring Presence in Global Cinema.
Veteran Hong Kong actor and singer Tony Leung Chiu-wai, celebrated for his pivotal roles in cinema, recently received the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award during the 80th Venice Film Festival’s illustrious evening.
Esteemed director Ang Lee, who has collaborated with Leung in the past, had the honor of presenting the accolade to the 61-year-old actor. Upon receiving the recognition, Leung light-heartedly remarked, “I’ve always held the aspiration for a Golden Lion. Now, it’s solely mine, with no need to share.”
His distinguished career has witnessed remarkable achievements. Notably, Leung’s performances in three films — Hsiao-Hsien Hou‘s ‘A City of Sadness‘ (1989), Anh Hung Tran’s ‘Cyclo’ (1995), and Lee‘s ‘Lust, Caution‘ (2007) — have been lauded with the Golden Lion for best picture.
While his association with the award-winning director Wong Kar-wai remains one of his most prominent partnerships, his acting prowess was internationally acclaimed when he bagged the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for ‘In The Mood for Love‘ (2000).
His exemplary contribution to cinema hasn’t gone unnoticed on a global stage. CNN has acknowledged him as one of Asia’s top 25 actors, and in 2017, the British Film Institute (BFI) extolled him, penning a monograph that celebrated Leung as “one of the most commendable contemporary pan-Asian and global film luminaries of his era.”
Feature image: Leung Chiu-wai’s fingerprint in Avenue of Stars, source
