Beverly Hills: Acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee, who has won two Oscars and other accolades over the past few years, received the Directors Guild of America's (DGA) 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday.
According to Focus Taiwan, Lee expressed a deep sense of fulfillment as he addressed the audience, highlighting his journey from Taiwan to the United States. "Born and raised in Taiwan it feels like a realization of the American dream to be here on this stage. I am a dreamer at my core. My dreams are not just an individual experience, there is a link through the collective consciousness and unconsciousness," Lee stated, after receiving his award from Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh.
Lee injected humor into the proceedings when he donned his reading glasses, jesting that it signaled the appropriate time for receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. He shared that while he has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career, this particular honor was especially significant as it came from his peers.
The DGA considers this award its highest honor, recognizing distinguished achievement in feature film direction. It is awarded to a director chosen by the current and past presidents of the Guild. Reflecting on his career, Lee recounted his experiences across various filmmaking genres, from low-budget to high-budget productions and from domestic to foreign languages. He noted that his films have been both celebrated and criticized, appearing on both the best and worst films of the year lists. "I've received the DGA award without the Oscar and vice versa," he remarked.
Born in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan in 1954, Lee is a celebrated director having won two Academy Awards for best director for "Brokeback Mountain" and "Life of Pi." He is also a two-time Golden Globe Best Director winner for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Brokeback Mountain." Lee became a member of the DGA in 1996 and was honored by the Guild in 2018 for his contributions to American culture through his support of the nation's film and television industry. He has also won the DGA Award in the Feature Film category twice, in 2000 and 2005, for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Brokeback Mountain," respectively.
In its 88-year history, the Guild has awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award to only 36 directors, underscoring the significance of this honor for Lee.