Ang Lee, best known for helming films including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi,” will receive the Directors Guild of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the organization announced Tuesday.
The honor “recognizes extraordinary achievements in the art of cinema and motion picture direction,” according to the DGA.
“Ang Lee is truly a master filmmaker. For over 30 years, he has directed a dynamic body of work that boldly cuts across genres — from period drama to comedy, adventure to western, superhero to martial arts — always fearlessly taking on new challenges, never repeating himself, and consistently achieving cinematic excellence,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement.
“Through his films, Ang invites his audiences to explore complex characters that linger in your heart and mind long after the screen has gone dark. From his earliest features like `The Wedding Banquet’ to artistic and commercial successes like `Brokeback Mountain,’ `Life of Pi’ and `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,’ Ang’s work is consistently recognized by critics, festivals and audiences for its brilliant storytelling and technological innovations. His unique approach has left an indelible mark on the history of cinema that will be celebrated for generations to come. The DGA couldn’t be prouder to honor Ang Lee as a recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Lee won the prestigious DGA Award for feature film directing in 2000 for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and in 2005 for “Brokeback Mountain.” He won best-director Oscars for “Brokeback Mountain” — becoming the first Asian director to win the award — and in 2013 for “Life of Pi.”
His other directing credits include “Sense and Sensibility,” “The Ice Storm,” “Hulk,” “Eat Drink Man Woman” and “Gemini Man.”
Lee will receive the honor during the 77th annual DGA Awards ceremony on Feb. 8.
Previous recipients of the award include Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Spike Lee, Frank Capra, John Huston and Martin Scorsese.