Seoul: Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh has been named the Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), an annual honour that recognises an Asian film professional or organisation for exceptional contributions to the advancement of Asian cinema, according to Variety.
According to Variety, Yeoh will receive the award during the festival’s opening ceremony on October 6 at the Busan Cinema Centre. The ceremony will be hosted by ‘Pachinko’ star Kim Minha.
Yeoh began her screen career in Hong Kong action cinema with ‘Yes, Madam!’ (1985), followed by acclaimed performances in ‘Police Story 3: Supercop’ (1992) and ‘Wing Chun’ (1994), helping redefine the image of the action heroine on screen.
She later gained international recognition with the James Bond film ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997) and Ang Lee’s ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (2000), which became a global critical and commercial success. Her recent credits include ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (2018), ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ (2021), ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022), ‘Wicked’ (2024) and ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ (2025).
Her performance in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ made history as she became the first Asian performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. The role also earned her honours at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. Earlier this year, she became the first Asian woman to receive the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Yeoh shares a long association with BIFF, first attending the festival in 2002 for the Pusan Promotion Plan, now known as the Asian Project Market. She has returned to the festival several times over the years with films including ‘Far North’ (2007), ‘Reign of Assassins’ (2010), ‘The Lady’ (2011), ‘Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy’ (2018) and ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022). This year’s visit marks her first appearance on the BIFF red carpet since attending with ‘The Lady’ in 2011.
To celebrate the honour, BIFF will present a Special Program in Focus featuring three films personally selected by Yeoh: ‘Reign of Assassins’, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ and ‘Sandiwara’ (2026). Her latest feature, ‘It’s My Time’ (2026), will also be screened as part of the retrospective, according to Variety.
The 31st Busan International Film Festival will be held from October 6 to 15 at the Busan Cinema Centre and other venues across Busan, while the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market is scheduled for October 10 to 13.
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