Actor Michelle Yeoh sees endless possibilities after receiving BIFF award

Academy Award-winning actor Michelle Yeoh received the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the 31st Busan International Film Festival in Busan Wednesday. She said the honor reinforced the importance of embracing new possibilities at any age. Yeoh discussed her upcoming film It’s My Time, credited Youn Yuh-jung with helping open doors for Asian actors, and expressed interest in working with Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho.

Yeoh previously visited BIFF in 2002 for industry exchanges and in 2011 with her film The Lady.

Yeoh won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022, becoming the first Asian actor to achieve the feat.

Yeoh said she was challenged by playing a much older woman in It’s My Time, whose story also explores family, love and new opportunities.

Yeoh said she prefers acting and producing and does not plan to become a director.

Published Oct 7, 2026 4:48 pm KST

Actor Michelle Yeoh poses during a press conference at the Busan International Film Festival at Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Wednesday. Yonhap

BUSAN — Academy Award-winning actor Michelle Yeoh stressed the importance of embracing new possibilities in cinema after receiving the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

"It has been 15 years since the last time I visited, and it is wonderful," Yeoh said. "The city looks amazing. Thank you for a really warm welcome. I remember when I arrived three days ago, and there was a double rainbow,” Yeoh said during a press conference at Busan Cinema Center in Busan Wednesday.

“To receive this award means so much, and I am deeply grateful for it because I think, like the Busan International Film Festival, we have come a long way."

The acclaimed actor, who previously visited the festival in 2002 for industry exchanges and in 2011 with her film "The Lady," was honored with the award at the BIFF for her massive contributions to global cinema.

Throughout her legendary career, she led the golden age of Hong Kong cinema with iconic titles like "Police Story 3 Supercop" (1992) before making her global mark in "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997), "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" (2000), "Crazy Rich Asians" (2018), and "Wicked" (2024).

Michelle Yeoh poses on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival at Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Tuesday. Yonhap

Yeoh reached a milestone when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her lead role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (2022) to become the first Asian actor to achieve the feat. In February, she was also awarded the Honorary Golden Bear at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.

Yeoh also spoke passionately about her upcoming film "It's My Time" and explained how its story of embracing new opportunities fits her own life philosophy.

"I was very challenged by this role because I play a much older lady," Yeoh said. "In this movie, what is really important to highlight is that no matter at what age, there is always a possibility of new opportunities for you. Apart from the love of family, it is also about finding someone who loves you and is there for you no matter what."

When asked about her historic Oscar victory, Yeoh acknowledged fellow Asian artists who paved the way, including Korean actor Youn Yuh-jung, who won Best Supporting Actress in 2021 for "Minari" (2020).

"I must mention Youn Yuh-jung, who was the first Korean actress to win Best Supporting Actress, and we are all very proud of her," Yeoh said. "She opened the door for me to believe that it is a possibility.”

Looking ahead, Yeoh expressed strong interest in collaborating with prominent Korean filmmakers, naming Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho as directors she would love to work with in the future.

However, when asked if she had any plans to step behind the camera as a director, Yeoh politely declined, affirming her love for acting and producing instead.

"I love being an actor and I love being a producer, but being an amazing director requires so much vision," Yeoh said with a smile. "I am not able to rise to that, so I will stick to what I know a little bit better and hope to support directors who have that vision."

奥斯卡影后杨紫琼周三在釜山举行的第31届釜山国际电影节上荣获年度亚洲电影人奖。她表示，这份荣誉让她更加坚信，无论年龄多大，都应该拥抱新的可能性。杨紫琼在颁奖典礼上谈到了即将上映的电影《我的时代》，感谢尹汝贞为亚裔演员打开了演艺之门，并表达了与李沧东、朴赞郁和奉俊昊等导演合作的意愿。

杨紫琼曾于 2002 年携电影《女人》到访釜山国际电影节进行业内交流，并于 2011 年携电影《女人》再次到访。

杨紫琼凭借《所有地方都一样》获得2022年奥斯卡最佳女主角奖，成为首位获此殊荣的亚洲演员。

杨紫琼表示，在《我的时代》中饰演一位年纪大得多的女性对她来说是一个挑战，这部电影也探讨了家庭、爱情和新的机遇。

杨紫琼表示她更喜欢表演和制片，没有成为导演的打算。

发布于2026年10月7日下午4:48（韩国标准时间）

周三，演员杨紫琼在釜山国际电影节釜山电影中心举行的新闻发布会上摆姿势拍照。（韩联社）

釜山——奥斯卡金像奖得主、演员杨紫琼在第31届釜山国际电影节（BIFF）上获得亚洲年度电影人奖后，强调了拥抱电影新可能性的重要性。

“距离我上次来釜山已经15年了，感觉太棒了，”杨紫琼说。“这座城市美极了。感谢大家的热情欢迎。我还记得三天前我刚到的时候，天空中出现了双彩虹，”杨紫琼周三在釜山电影中心举行的新闻发布会上说道。

“获得这个奖项对我意义重大，我对此深表感激，因为我认为，就像釜山国际电影节一样，我们已经取得了长足的进步。”

这位备受赞誉的演员曾于 2002 年参加电影节进行行业交流，并于 2011 年携电影《淑女》再次亮相，此次在釜山国际电影节上荣获该奖项，以表彰她对全球电影的巨大贡献。

在她传奇的演艺生涯中，她凭借《警察故事3：超级警察》（1992）等标志性作品引领了香港电影的黄金时代，之后又凭借《明日帝国》（1997）、《卧虎藏龙》（2000）、《摘金奇缘》（2018）和《魔女嘉年华》（2024）等影片享誉全球。

周二，杨紫琼在釜山电影中心举行的第31届釜山国际电影节开幕式红毯上摆姿势拍照。（韩联社）

杨紫琼凭借在《一切的一切》（2022）中的出色表演荣获奥斯卡最佳女主角奖，成为首位获此殊荣的亚洲演员，创造了演艺生涯的里程碑。今年2月，她还荣获第76届柏林国际电影节荣誉金熊奖。

杨紫琼还热情地谈到了她即将上映的电影《我的时代》，并解释了这部电影讲述的拥抱新机遇的故事如何契合了她自己的人生哲学。

杨紫琼表示：“这个角色对我来说很有挑战性，因为我饰演的是一位年纪较大的女性。这部电影真正想要强调的是，无论年龄多大，总会有新的机遇。除了家人的爱，这部电影也讲述了找到一个爱你、无论发生什么都会在你身边支持你的人。”

当被问及她历史性的奥斯卡胜利时，杨紫琼感谢了为她铺平道路的其他亚洲艺术家，包括韩国演员尹汝贞，她凭借《米纳里》（2020）获得了2021年奥斯卡最佳女配角奖。

“我必须提到尹汝贞，她是第一位获得奥斯卡最佳女配角奖的韩国女演员，我们都为她感到非常自豪，”杨紫琼说道。“她让我相信这是有可能的。”

展望未来，杨紫琼表达了与韩国著名电影人合作的浓厚兴趣，并点名李沧东、朴赞郁和奉俊昊，称他们是她未来最想合作的导演。

然而，当被问及是否有计划转型成为导演时，杨紫琼礼貌地拒绝了，并表示她更热爱表演和制作。

“我热爱演员这份工作，也热爱制片这份工作，但要成为一名优秀的导演，需要非常远大的抱负，”杨紫琼笑着说。“我目前还达不到那个水平，所以我会继续做我比较擅长的事情，并希望能够支持那些拥有远见卓识的导演。”