Zhang Yimou to Receive Lifetime Honor at Tokyo Film Festival

Leading Chinese film director Zhang Yimou is to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Tokyo International Film Festival later this month.

The award will be presented to him during the festival’s opening ceremony on Oct. 23.

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Later, Zhang will take part in a special talk session at the TIFF Loungeco-hosted by the Japan Foundation.

Additionally, his “Full River Red,” which was a box office sensation in China at the beginning of the year, will play as a gala selection during the Tokyo festival.

Zhang, consider to be among China’s “fifth generation” of filmmakers, has had an extraordinary career that he has sustained for over three decades. His first film as director was “Red Sorghum,” which he has followed with pictures in a wide range of genres, including “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).

He is currently riding high at the Chinese box office with another title “Under the Light,” which is still on commercial release and is not at the festival.

“Cinema can serve as a bridge connecting people from around the world and promote exchange and mutual understanding that transcends ethnicity and culture. 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,” said Zhang in a prepared statement. “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.”

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