Ann Hui, one of Hong Kong cinema’s defining figures, will receive the 2026 Camellia Award at the opening ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 6 at Busan Cinema Center. The award, established by BIFF in partnership with Chanel to honor filmmakers who have advanced the status of women in the industry, goes to a director whose career spans 27 feature films and two feature-length documentaries since her 1979 debut “The Secret.”
A key figure in the Hong Kong New Wave, Hui has won the best director prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards six times and at the Golden Horse Awards three times. She achieved a clean sweep of best film, director, actor and actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards with both “Summer Snow” in 1995 and “A Simple Life” in 2011. Her international recognition includes the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2012 Asian Film Awards, the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at BIFF 2014, and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival.
Hui said: “In my previous years I felt unwilling to receive such taking-stock prizes because I wished to continue making movies. Now that I’m nearly 80 and find it difficult to make a film, I think the prize comes just in time for me to appreciate it more.” She added: “I am so happy to return to Busan and meet an audience that is among the most savvy and cinematically literate in the world.” The 31st BIFF runs Oct. 6–15.
