Tokyo Film Festival: Zhang Yimou to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Chinese filmmaking icon Zhang Yimou will receive the Tokyo International Film Festival’s lifetime achievement award, the event’s organizers revealed Tuesday. Zhang will be presented with the honor at the Tokyo festival’s opening ceremony on Oct. 23 in “recognition of his extraordinary career and long-standing contributions to the film industry.” The director will later participate in a special talk session at the TIFF Lounge, a panel series curated by noted Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda.  

The most prominent of China’s fabled “Fifth Generation” of filmmakers, Zhang made his directorial debut in 1988 with Red Sorghum, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. He has directed 25 features since, including Ju Dou (1990), Raise the Red Lantern (1991), and Hero (2003) — all Oscar nominees in the best international film category. Hero and his 2004 follow-up, House of Flying Daggers, are among China’s most internationally successful commercial films of all time, having earned $147 million and $83 million, respectively, outside of the country. Zhang also famously directed the stunning opening ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

At 73 years old, Zhang is having another remarkable year. His period mystery thriller Full River Red is China’s biggest film of 2023, having pulled in $673 million during the country’s Lunar New Year holiday in January. And is second release this year, Under the Light, opened Sept. 28 and already has amassed $143 million.

Full River Red will make its Japan premiere at the 2023 Tokyo festival, screening in the Gala Selection section.

Zhang responded to the news of his upcoming award in Japan with a written statement sent from Beijing.

He said: “There is one thing I still remember: When Kurosawa Akira received an Academy Honorary Award in 1990, I was in the audience still as a fledgling filmmaker. His words in his speech, “I have not yet grasped the essence of cinema,” are still fresh in my mind. I would like to express my gratitude to the Tokyo International Film Festival for presenting me with this award. I would also like to thank everyone for their encouragement and support. Considering this as one starting point, I will continue my efforts to understand the essence of cinema and make great films.”