Director Ann Hui [Busan International Film Festival]
Director Ann Hui [Busan International Film Festival]

Hong Kong director Ann Hui has been named the recipient of the 2026 Camellia Award at the 31st Busan International Film Festival.

The Camellia Award is presented to a filmmaker who has made outstanding contributions to elevating the status of women in the film industry. It was established in honor of pioneering women in cinema and takes its name from the camellia — the city flower of Busan and the favorite flower of Gabrielle Chanel, founder of the fashion house Chanel.

This year's honoree, Hui is a central figure of the Hong Kong New Wave and a screenwriter and producer who helped bring Hong Kong cinema to global prominence. Through a lens that captures the nuances of society and its times, she has told the stories of everyday life in Hong Kong — its universal joys and sorrows, and the narratives of women who are easily overlooked — with warmth and depth.

Hui made her feature debut in 1979 with "The Secret" and has since directed 27 feature films and two feature-length documentaries. She has won the best director prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards six times and at the Golden Horse Film Festival three times.

With "Summer Snow" (1995) and "A Simple Life" (2011), she swept the Hong Kong Film Awards — taking best picture, best director, best actor and best actress — achieving a grand slam at the ceremony on both occasions. Her career has also been recognized with the Asian Film Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at the 2014 Busan International Film Festival, and an honorary Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.

"In the past, I was reluctant to accept awards that looked back on my filmmaking life, because I still wanted to keep making films," Hui said. "But now that I am approaching 80 and filmmaking has become increasingly difficult, receiving this award feels all the more meaningful."

She added that she was "very happy to think about meeting again the Busan audiences, who have the deepest appreciation and understanding of cinema in the world."

The 2026 Camellia Award will be presented at the opening ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival, to be held Oct. 6 at the Busan Cinema Center.


balme@heraldcorp.com