[BIFF Press Release] Ann HUI to Receive 2026 Camellia Award at the 31st BIFF, Presented in Partnership with CHANEL
2026. 08. 11 08:54
Press Release |2026.08.11
Ann HUI to Receive 2026 Camellia Award at the 31st BIFF, Presented in Partnership with CHANEL
The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has named Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui as the recipient of the ‘2026 Camellia Award.’ The Camellia Award is given to filmmakers who have made significant contributions to elevating the status of women in the film industry.
The 2026 recipient of the Camellia Award, Ann Hui, has played a pivotal role in shaping the Hong Kong New Wave as a director, screenwriter, and producer. Since making her directorial debut with The Secret (1979), she has helmed 27 feature films and two feature-length documentaries, building one of the most distinguished bodies of work in Asian cinema.
A six-time Best Director winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards and a three-time Best Director winner at the Golden Horse Awards, Hui achieved the rare feat of sweeping Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards with Summer Snow (1995) and A Simple Life (2011), firmly establishing herself as one of the defining filmmakers of Hong Kong.
She has since been recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2012 Asian Film Awards, the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at BIFF 2014, and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival, further cementing her reputation as one of Asia's foremost filmmakers while securing her place among the great masters on theglobal stage.
Underlying Hui's remarkable career and international acclaim is a singular cinematic vision rooted in compassion and humanity, one that has long captured the complexities of Hong Kong society and the spirit of its times. Spanning a wide range of genres, her films chronicle the everyday lives of ordinary people while weaving intimate personal stories into broader social realities. Her nuanced portrayals of women, particularly those often pushed to the margins, have resonated deeply with audiences across cultures and generations.
Ann Hui said, “In my previous years I felt unwilling to receive such taking-stock prizes because I wished to continue making movies. Now that I’m nearly eighty and find it difficult to make a film, I think the prize comes just in time for me to appreciate it more.” She added, “I am so happy to return to Busan and meet an audience that is among the most savvy and cinematically literate in the world.”
Throughout history, pioneering women worldwide have made significant contributions to the cinema industry, including directing, producing, screenwriting, cinematography, and production design. Today, their creative journeys, which challenge traditional norms and ways of thinking, are a source of strength and inspiration, forging a path for future generations of women in the industry across Asia. The Busan International Film Festival and CHANEL established the Camellia Award to honor the legacy of pioneering women filmmakers, drawing inspiration from the camellia, Busan’s city flower, as well as Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite flower.
The 2026 Camellia Award will be presented at the opening ceremony of the 31st BIFF on October 6 at Busan Cinema Center. The festival runs from October 6 (Tue) to October 15 (Thu), spanning 10 days in and around the same venue.
About the CHANEL Culture Fund
The CHANEL Culture Fund fosters a vibrant network of creators and innovators to advance the ideas that shape culture worldwide. Core programmes include CHANEL’s Art Partners, institutions whose leaders are supported in the development of ground-breaking, long-term initiatives that bring innovation to the cultural landscape. The CHANEL Next Prize celebrates artists and accelerates their future successes through access to resources and mentorship. And the podcast CHANEL Connects amplifies the voices of thought-leaders across disciplines, generations, and geographies—tackling the defining issues of our time.
From driving artistic innovation with technology at CalArts in Southern California to catalysing creative freedom at scale at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, from championing game-changing artists at the Venice Biennale to celebrating the brightest directors at the British Film Institute, the CHANEL Culture Fund extends a century of commitment to the arts and champions creative audacity for a better future.
▶31st Busan International Film Festival: Oct 6 (Tue) – Oct 15 (Thu)
▶21st Asian Contents & Film Market: Oct 10 (Sat) – Oct 13 (Tue)
