TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 27th Far East Film Festival announced it will award its highest honor, the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award, to Taiwanese film director Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉), per a press release.

Chang began acting at 18, appearing in action movies and performing her own stunts. Later, she wrote screenplays, directed 15 films, and became involved in film production.  She has been described as an auteur, largely self-taught in cinema, preferring to learn on set.

Chang will receive FEFF’s Golden Mulberry for lifetime achievement in recognition of a career spanning six decades. The film, “Daughter’s Daughter,” co-produced by Chang and Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), will also be screened at FEFF,  previously earning an honorable mention at the 49th Toronto Film Festival in September.

According to FEFF, the festival intended to crown a “queen” of Asian cinema through the selection of Chang, as the previous year it had crowned the “king” of Asian cinema, Zhang Yimou (張藝謀). The festival praised Chang as an “icon” of Asian cinema but wrote, “No word can really capture her greatness!" 

Chang's journey began as a radio personality and a singer in Taiwan in the 1970s. It was not long before she transitioned to film and television, allowing her talent and charisma to quickly make her a versatile star able to play a wide variety of roles.

Her filmography includes some of the most iconic performances in Asian cinema, including Raymond To's "Forever and Ever," Johnnie To's "All About Ah-Long," and Tsui Hark's "Shanghai Blues," among many other performances. In the 1980s, she began writing and directing and quickly proved to be a formidable talent behind the camera, capturing the complex nature of human relationships.

Chang’s influence has extended beyond the film industry, as she advocated for diversity and championed the work of young filmmakers, particularly women and other artists from underrepresented communities. Her work has won many awards and has influenced generations of filmmakers. 

Many of the FEFF films address life in a “post-truth era” where objective facts are less important, giving individuals the freedom to choose what is authentic and what is not. This is the subject of “Green Wave,” directed by Xu Lei (徐磊), the tale of a woeful screenwriter whose long-forgotten work is suddenly about to debut in a theater as he contemplates his sudden good fortune.

FEFF has also restarted its collaboration with the Taipei Film Archive and will present three films paying tribute to Taiwanese director Pai Ching-rui (白景瑞), “Accidental Trio” (1969), “Good Bye! Darling” (1970), "Lonely Seventeen" (1967).

FEFF will be held in Udine, Italy, from April 24 to May 2. This year's festival lineup includes 75 films from 11 countries (seven world premieres, 15 international premieres, 20 European premieres, and 19 Italian premieres).