Asian Film Awards Academy is honoured to have director ZHANG Yimou as this year’s Jury President

“The jury and I shall select the best Asian films.” —- Yi-mou ZHANG

18 January 2023

The Asian Film Awards Academy has announced earlier that ZHANG Yimou, an internationally renowned director and the best director of last year’s Asian Film Awards, will be the Jury President of AFA16. ZHANG hopes to do his best to select the best Asian film works, “I think the establishment of the ‘Asian Film Awards’ has very positive significance for promoting Asian film culture. It’s a statement to the world, saying that we are here.”

Director Zhang Yimou is widely considered one of the world’s greatest filmmakers. He won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival twice, the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He was the principal director for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Zhang Yimou’s works are diverse, and constantly advancing. The academy believes Director ZHANG will use his forward-looking and professional vision to lead seven professional judges from all over the world to select the best filmmakers in each category. Let us stay tuned for the 16th Asian Film Awards Ceremony on March 12.

Asian Film Awards Academy

The AFAA is formed by three (3) established Asian Film Festivals – Busan, Hong Kong and Tokyo in 2013. It highlights, strengthens, and develops Asian film industry and culture through the annual Asian Film Awards, and several year-round initiatives for building regional and international audiences such as the Masterclass Series, Film Craft Workshops, Asian Cinerama, Journey to the Fest, Young Film Professionals Training Program, and Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation.

ZHANG Yimou

ZHANG Yimou is one of the most internationally acclaimed Asian directors, and the leading figure of Chinese Fifth Generation filmmakers. ZHANG’s distinguished contributions earned him Outstanding Contribution to Asian Cinema at the 4th Asian Film Awards. His distinguished work, One Second (2020), won ZHANG the Best Director at the Asian Film Awards 2021. Among the many honors that have been bestowed on ZHANG are his directorial debut, Red Sorghum (1988), which received the Best Film Award at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival. His fourth film, Raise the Red Lantern (1991), earned him a Silver Lion for Best Direction at the 48th Venice International Film Festival; his following work, The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) won the Golden Lion at the 49th Venice International Film Festival. ZHANG’s sixth film, To Live (1994), earned him the Grand Prix du Jury at the 47th Cannes Film Festival; his Not One Less (1999) won him the second Golden Lion at the 56th Venice International Film Festival.

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