The ongoing 12th Pusan International Film Festival on Saturday
named the late Taiwan director Edward Yang as the filmmaker of the
year. It is the first time the award has been given
posthumously.
Yang's widow, pianist Kaili Peng, accepted the award with the
couple's seven-year-old son, Sean Yang.
Junior Yang produced a traditional ceramic tile of handprints on
behalf of his father. The handprints will join those of earlier
honorees of the award, including Taiwan leading filmmaker Hou
Hsiao-Hsien, and prominent Chinese mainland director Zhang
Yimou.
There was a screening of a short video, featuring photos from
Yang's earlier days. Present at the event to honor Yang's life and
death were the film festival's director Kim Dong-ho, German
filmmaker Volker Schlondorff, and award-winning Chinese actress Yu
Nan.
Edward Yang died on June 29 this year of complications from his
long battle against colon cancer. He was 59.
(CRI.cn October 8, 2007)