VES to Honor Ang Lee with Visionary Award

The award honors an individual who has uniquely and consistently employed the art and science of visual effects to foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work.

“Ang Lee has used the art of visual effects to masterful effect in telling stories like ‘Life of Pi’ that could not have otherwise been so powerfully brought to life,” said Jeffrey A. Okun, chair of the Visual Effects Awards Committee. “With a body of work that encompasses films as distinguished and artful as ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,’ ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ Lee’s imagery has brought stunning and compelling images to the world of cinema – making us proud to award him our annual Visionary Award.”

Taiwan-born Ang Lee (director/producer) is one of the world’s most revered and honored film directors. He has won two Academy Awards (in 2006, for his Direction of “Brokeback Mountain,” and in 2001, for Best Foreign-Language Film for “ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”). His films have twice won the prestigious Golden Lion Award for Best Picture at the Venice International Film Festival (in 2007, for “ Lust, Caution,” and in 2005, for “ Brokeback Mountain”) and twice won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival (in 1993, for “ The Wedding Banquet,” and in 1996, for “ Sense and Sensibility”). “ Lust, Caution” swept Asia’s Golden Horse Awards (Taiwan’s equivalent of the Academy Awards), with eight wins including Best Film; it is one of the highest-grossing and most critically acclaimed films in the history of Chinese-language cinema.

Lee’s film currently in theatres, “Life of Pi,”has been a worldwide success. Recently, the movie was named one of AFI’s Top Ten Movies of 2012 and was nominated for three Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture, Drama and Best Director, and nine Broadcast Film Critic’s Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Previously, Lee’s groundbreaking “ Brokeback Mountain” won two additional Academy Awards – Best Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana) and Best Original Score (Gustavo Santaolalla) – and was nominated for five more, including Best Picture. Lee also won the Directors Guild of America, BAFTA, Independent Spirit and Golden Globe Awards for Best Director among other industry accolades. The film won three additional Golden Globe Awards, including Best Picture [Drama]; the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature; three additional BAFTA Awards, including Best Film; and the Golden Lion Award, for Best Picture, at the 2005 Venice International Film Festival.

Lee’s strikingly diverse and critically acclaimed filmography as a director also includes “Taking Woodstock”; “Ride with the Devil”; “The Ice Storm”; “Sense and Sensibility”; “Eat Drink Man Woman”; “The Wedding Banquet”; and “Pushing Hands.”