Michelle Yeoh has been named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), an annual honor recognizing an Asian film professional or organization for exceptional contributions to the advancement of Asian cinema.
Yeoh made her screen debut in Hong Kong action cinema with “Yes, Madam!” in 1985, followed by “Police Story 3: Supercop” in 1992 and “Wing Chun” in 1994, helping redefine what an action heroine could be on screen. She broke through internationally with “Tomorrow Never Dies” in 1997 and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000, the latter a rare non-English-language title to land both box-office success and critical acclaim worldwide. Her later credits include “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021) and “Wicked” (2024), before her turn in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022) made her the first Asian performer to claim the Academy Award for lead actress, an awards run that also carried her to victories at both the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes. Earlier this year, she also became the first Asian woman to receive the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Yeoh’s ties to BIFF stretch back to 2002, when she attended the festival for the Pusan Promotion Plan, the precursor to today’s Asian Project Market. She has returned to Busan multiple times since, with screenings including “Far North” (2007), “Reign of Assassins” (2010), “The Lady” (2011), “Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy” (2018), which closed the festival’s 23rd edition, and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022). This year’s appearance marks her first time back on the BIFF red carpet since she attended with “The Lady” in 2011.
