Michelle Yeoh named Asian Film-maker of the Year at Busan film festival

Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh will receive the Asian Film-maker of the Year award at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, organizers announced on Aug 6.

Presented annually since 2003, the South Korean award recognizes film professionals or organizations that have made exceptional contributions to Asian cinema.

Past recipients include Iranian director Jafar Panahi (2025), Japanese film-maker Kiyoshi Kurosawa (2024) and Hong Kong stars Chow Yun Fat (2023) and Tony Leung Chiu Wai (2022). Yeoh rose to prominence in Hong Kong action cinema with Yes, Madam (1985), Police Story 3: Supercop (1992) and Wing Chun (1994) before crossing over to Hollywood in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Taiwanese director Lee Ang’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

Yeoh’s more recent credits include Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021) and Wicked (2024).

The 64-year-old made Oscar history in 2023 when she won Best Actress for the film Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), becoming the first Asian to win in the category.

The role also brought her top honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globes that awards season.

In February, she became the first Asian woman to receive the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Yeoh’s ties to the Busan festival dated back to 2002, when she visited the city for the Pusan Promotion Plan, now known as the Asian Project Market.