The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the United States will sponsor The Films of Ang Lee, a month-long celebration of the career of Taiwan-born, Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee. Co-hosted by the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery and the American Film Institute Silver Theatre, the film series begins Nov. 16 with the opening screening of 2007 Venice Film Festival Golden Lion recipient Lust, Caution at the Freer Gallery.
Lee’s name burst into the mainstream with 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film received 10 Oscar nominations, including Taiwan’s first win in the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film category. Lee’s Oscar success continued five years later when he became the first Asian winner of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 2005 film Brokeback Mountain.
Ang Lee received his Master in Fine Art’s degree from New York University in 1984. He began his successful career by winning both first and second place in a script-writing contest held by the Republic of China (Taiwan) government. These films, Pushing Hands and The Wedding Banquet, won substantial international acclaim, and Lee’s work earned Taiwan an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for The Wedding Banquet. Lee’s third film, 1994’s Eat Drink Man Woman, also received a nomination the following year.
Following the critical success of these early films, Lee was tapped to direct Sense and Sensibility, his first foray into a Hollywood production. Though initially tentative about directing a British period-piece, Lee’s subtle humor and keen sense of drama led to seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
Ang Lee has always been a prominent member of the international film community, and his latest project, Life of Pi, is noteworthy for a uniqueness found off-screen: The majority of the film was shot and produced in Taiwan, marking the first time a Hollywood production company has been to the island since Steve McQueen’s 1966 breakout film The Sand Pebbles. Republic of China (Taiwan) President Ma Ying-jeou visited the set in April 2011, expressing appreciation for Mr. Lee’s decision to promote Taiwan and its growing film industry.
With Life of Pi set to release Nov. 21, TECRO, the Freer Gallery and AFI Silver Theatre are taking the opportunity to look back on the remarkable career of director Ang Lee, who was kind enough to provide a recorded message to precede each screening.
The Films of Ang Lee begins with a screening of Lust, Caution on Friday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery of Art. The retrospective concludes with Brokeback Mountain on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 6:45 p.m. at the American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. Please visit the Freer Gallery and AFI online for complete schedules.
Meyer Auditorium, Freer Gallery of Art
1050 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20560
(202) 633-1000
Free, open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
http://www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp#/?i=2
LUST, CAUTION
Friday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m.
PUSHING HANDS
Sunday, Dec. 2, 1 p.m.
THE WEDDING BANQUET
Sunday, Dec. 2, 3 p.m.
EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN
Friday, Dec. 7, 7 p.m.
AFI Silver Theatre
8633 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 495-6700
Tickets required
http://www.afi.com/silver/films/Calendar.aspx
THE ICE STORM
Fri, Nov 23, 9:45 p.m.; Wed, Nov 28, 6:30 p.m. (Montgomery College @ AFI Show)
HULK
Sat, Nov 24, 1:15 p.m.
RIDE WITH THE DEVIL
Sun, Nov 25, 5:10 p.m.; Mon, Nov 26, 6:45 p.m.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
Fri, Nov 30, 7:00 p.m.; Sun, Dec 2, 3:45 p.m.
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Sat, Dec 8, 4:00 p.m.; Sun, Dec 9, 8:15 p.m.; Tue, Dec 11, 7:00 p.m.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Sun, Dec 16, 1:00 p.m.; Wed, Dec 19, 6:45 p.m.
(Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Repertory)
