Hong Kong’s Tony Leung pays emotional tribute to city as he becomes first Chinese actor to win Venice Film Festival lifetime achievement award
- Leung lauds Hong Kong’s cinema industry in emotional speech as Taiwanese director Ang Lee presents coveted prize
- He tells audience the prize is shared with ‘wonderful people’ he has worked with and ‘Hong Kong cinema’
The delighted star shed tears of joy in an emotional acceptance speech on Saturday, saying: “This is really a great honour.”
“I’m so grateful to have been raised in Hong Kong as well as being nurtured later by the Hong Kong movie industry in general where my acting career began,” Leung said as the audience cheered and applauded the win.
Leung was presented with the award in the Italian city at this year’s festival, the 80th, which kicked off on Wednesday and will run until September 9.
In his own speech, Lee praised the actor for always delivering “enchanting” performances and “elevating” films with his presence, describing him as “a director’s dream”.
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“There is something in his eyes that is electrifying, not just his physical eyes or skill, but the soul that shines through them,” Lee said.
“He can say more in one look than many actors can with a full monologue. That’s a soul that can entice you to dream and imagine through him.”
The director recalled Leung had supported him after he had an emotional meltdown on set, and was always diligent and considerate when working with his fellow crew members.
“When you’re that talented, and you have the natural look, that’s a gift. But to share it with kindness, and to facilitate it in others time and again, that’s a lifetime achievement,” he said.
“Being a great actor demands a love of the craft, and being a star requires you to function as an inspiration for others … Tony does both outstandingly well.
“He provokes our imagination that we can all dream through him. It’s a certain spirit I wish I could articulate and present to you, but I cannot, because it’s beyond words.”
Leung later posted a picture on social media of himself and his wife posing with the award, with the caption: “The tiger is bringing home the lion.”
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The announcement that Leung would receive the award was made in March.
The screen legend has appeared in many films over the past four decades, including A City of Sadness (1989), Cyclo (1995), and Lust, Caution, all of which have won Golden Lion awards.
Leung has also starred in films such as In the Mood for Love (2000), Chungking Express (1994), Infernal Affairs (2002) and recent Marvel hit Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
