Champagne corks popped and firecrackers were lit yesterday in Taiwan as Ang Lee became the first Asian to win the best directing honour at the Academy Awards.
'Yeah, he got it, he got it,' shouted the director's younger brother, Lee Kang, who runs a TV production house in Taipei.
Smiling from ear to ear in his packed office, Lee Kang uncorked the bubbly to celebrate his brother's biggest filmmaking successes with their 81-year-old mother, Yang Si-chuang.
Lee Kang was a little disappointed that Brokeback Mountain failed to take the best film honour, but felt gratified with the best director award. 'We shouldn't be too harsh towards the Americans. After all, it is good for the [Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences] to be able to accept different [movie] subjects and different voices.' he said. 'It is one of the biggest achievements for Ang Lee to get the [best director] Oscar.'
Fighting back tears, Ms Yang said she felt sorry that she could not share the moment with her late husband, who died during the filming of Brokeback Mountain.
President Chen Shui-bian and Vice-President Annette Lu Hsiu-lien sent Ang Lee separate congratulatory messages, saying they were proud to have him elevate the island's status.