Yuen Woo-ping

Source: Courtesy of New York Asian Film Festival

Yuen Woo-ping

Hong Kong fight choreographer and director Yuen Woo-ping will receive New York Asian Film Festival’s (NYAFF) lifetime achievement award on July 1.

The prolific Yuen’s credits include The Matrix franchise, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Kill Bill. He embarked on his film career as an actor in the 1960s and in 1978 made his directorial debut with Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow followed by Drunken Master, the two films that made Jackie Chan an international star and pioneered the kung fu comedy genre.

NYAFF will screen three films directed by Yuen: 1990s kung fu new wave thriller Iron Monkey (1993) starring Donnie Yen in 35mm; Yuen’s latest completed film, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy, starring Max Zhang, Michelle Yeoh and Tony Jaa courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment; and The Miracle Fighters (1982), Yuen’s first of several bold fusions of kung fu, fantasy and comedy.

The Yuen tribute at the 18th edition of the festival is presented in association with Film at Lincoln Center, with the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY)

The 18th New York Asian Film Festival runs from June 28-July 14, and as previously announced, Japan’s Nana Komatsu and Ryu Jun-yeol from South Korea will receive this year Screen International Rising Star Asia Award.