British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) will honour acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee with the Fellowship at this year’s EE British Academy Film Awards.
Awarded annually, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed by BAFTA upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, games or television.
Recent recipients include Christopher Lee, Martin Scorsese, Alan Parker, Helen Mirren, Sidney Poitier, Sir Ridley Scott, and Kathleen Kennedy.
Lee is one of the world’s most pioneering and revered contemporary filmmakers whose ground-breaking films are highly acclaimed spanning multiple genres throughout his producing, writing and directing career.
He first rose to prominence in the 1990s with his Taiwanese Father Knows Best comedy trilogy consisting of Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman, all of which he co-wrote, produced and directed.
His first English language film was Sense and Sensibility starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant which he followed up with a series of hits including the martial arts action-adventure Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger.
Marc Samuelson, Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee said: “Ang Lee is a master of his craft. He is an incredibly versatile, daring and exceptional filmmaker who effortlessly moves between genres.
“His films have been truly ground-breaking both in terms of their technical expertise and for the subject matters he tackles.
“We are thrilled to present him with BAFTA’s highest honour.”
Ang Lee commented: “England has been particularly good to me in my career, especially with Sense and Sensibility, which was like a second film school for me. It’s a tremendous honour to receive the Bafta Academy Fellowship and be counted among such brilliant filmmakers.”
