Asian Film Awards To Honor Chinese Star Tang Wei & Korean Veteran Actor Jang Dong-gun With Excellence Awards
The Asian Film Awards has unveiled Korean veteran actor Jang Dong-gun and Chinese actress Tang Wei as this year's recipients of the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, which will be presented during the awards ceremony in Hong Kong on March 16.
With more than 30 years in the film and television industry, Jang has starred in top Korean films like Friend, Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War, No Tears for the Dead and A Normal Family, among others. He has also acted alongside Hong Kong talent like Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse in Chen Kaige's pan-Asian production The Promise and reunited with Cheung in Dangerous Liaisons.
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Tang played leading roles in Park Chan-wook's Decision to Leave and Bi Gan's Long Day's Journey into Night. She also co-starred with Chris Hemsworth in Michael Mann's Blackhat and worked on numerous Hong Kong productions and co-productions like The Golden Era, Office and A Tale of Three Cities.
'I can't talk about my growth without mentioning Hong Kong films,' Jang said in a statement. 'The first movie I ever watched in a theatre was Jackie CHAN's Drunken Master. By the 1980s, when I was in high school, Hong Kong films were everywhere, especially gangster films, which left a lasting impact on me.'
Jang highlighted the impact that Hong Kong films like A Better Tomorrow series, A Chinese Ghost Story, Casino Raiders, and Stephen Chow's comedies, has had on his cinematic taste.
'I really respect Tony Leung, and if I had the chance to work with him, it would truly be an honour and an incredible experience,' added Jang. 'It is a tremendous honour to receive this award, and I sincerely thank the Asian Film Awards for this recognition. Having my three-decade acting career acknowledged is deeply meaningful and inspires me to keep going. I look forward to sharing this joy with everyone in Hong Kong.'
Tang said: 'I am truly grateful to the Asian Film Awards for recognising my work. Hong Kong has always been special to me, and I'm thrilled to return for this honour. I want to take this opportunity to thank every director and collaborator I've worked with, and most importantly, the audiences whose support made this possible.
'I hope to come back and work in Hong Kong so I can improve my Cantonese. I'd be so happy if I had the chance to work on a Hong Kong film,' added Tang. 'I'll be waiting for Hong Kong directors to come find me for more projects.'
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