Zhang Ziyi Receives Inaugural Lumière Festival Honour Award in Lyon
LYON — Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi became the first-ever recipient of the Lumière Festival's new Honour Achievement Award at the festival's 18th edition in Lyon, France, on Oct. 11. The award, created to honour filmmakers who have made major contributions to world cinema, was presented by Cannes Film Festival president Thierry Frémaux before an audience of 5,000.
Zhang had not been told in advance. Visibly moved to tears on stage, she declared 'I love cinema' in both Chinese and English. The festival also presented her with a commemorative certificate made from the first frame of the Lumière brothers' 'Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory.'
Zhang attended the opening ceremony as guest of honour and declared the festival open in Chinese. The festival screened four of her works — a 4K restoration of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (its French premiere), an extended cut of 'The Grandmaster,' 'The Road Home,' and her self-directed short 'Poem' — and she gave a masterclass on Oct. 12.
Founded in 2009 by Frémaux and director Bertrand Tavernier, the Lumière Festival centres on restored classics. Its long-standing Lumière Award counts Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino and Pedro Almodóvar among past honourees, with Wong Kar-wai its first Asian recipient in 2017; Zhang is the inaugural winner of the festival's newly created honour.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：章子怡（资料图，2024年威尼斯电影节）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。Photo: Zhang Ziyi (file photo, Venice 2024). Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
