Michelle Yeoh to visit Korea for first time in 15 years for Busan film festival

Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh will visit Korea this October for the first time in 15 years to receive an honorary award at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), organizers said on Thursday.

Yeoh will receive the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the opening ceremony of the 31st edition of BIFF, Korea’s largest film festival, at the Busan Cinema Center on Oct. 6. A BIFF spokesperson confirmed to the Korea JoongAng Daily that Yeoh will accept the award in person.

The award, presented annually since 2003, recognizes Asian individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to cinema. Past recipients include Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

The Malaysian actor last visited Korea in 2011, when she attended BIFF to promote “The Lady” (2011). She first attended the festival in 2002 for the Asian Project Market, then known as the Pusan Promotion plan, a premarket for co-producing and financing films.

BIFF will also screen three films selected by Yeoh — “Reign of Assassins” (2010), “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022) and “Sandiwara” — and her latest feature, the sports drama “It’s My Time,” as part of its Special Program in Focus.

Yeoh made history in 2023 as the first Asian performer to win the Academy Award for best actress for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Since her debut in “Yes, Madam!” (1985), Yeoh has built a career that began in Hong Kong action cinema and expanded into Hollywood and global franchises. Her best-known films include “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000), “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021) and “Wicked” (2024).

This year’s BIFF will take place at the Busan Cinema Center and venues across the port city of Busan from Oct. 6 to 15.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]