U.S.-based Taiwanese movie director Ang Lee (李安, left) and Golden Horse Film Awards incumbent chair Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉, right)/CNA file photo

Taipei, Nov. 26 (CNA) U.S.-based Taiwanese movie director Ang Lee (李安) has agreed to take over as the head of the executive committee of the Golden Horse Film Awards, incumbent chair Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉) said Sunday.

Chang said she was delighted to have been able to persuade Lee to take over the position to lead the film festival and awards into a new era after the completion of the 54th Golden Horse Film Awards on Saturday night.

Lee said he hesitated before agreeing to do the job. "My first response (to Sylvia's suggestion) was no. After a while, I told her it would be 'very difficult.' And then I gradually softened my position."

He said he finally decided to accept the offer in part because he has won a number of Golden Horse awards and has been doing his best to attend the award ceremony over the past 30 years, including serving as head of the award jury four years ago.

"The movie industry flourishes on popularity. It is a well known fact that the Golden Horse Awards have pooled the energy in the Chinese speaking world -- it is a mature, open and fair film award," he said.

The Golden Horse Awards are perceived to be fair because jury members often have to fight hard to reach a decision and because the awards depend less on ideological or commercial considerations than at other film festivals, Lee said.

"The filmmaking industry in the Chinese speaking world is a big family. The Golden Horse Awards have enjoyed a high status and are highly honored. I will try my best to continue the tradition," Lee said.

Lee's works have been honored with top awards in Berlin and Venice film festivals, in addition to winning two Academy awards for best director.

"I agreed to be Golden Horse Film Festival and Award chairman out of my support for and encouragement of the filmmakers in the Chinese speaking world," said Lee, who was born in Taiwan and learned the art of making movies in the U.S.

He vowed to work hard in the coming two years so that Golden Horse will continue to be a "smooth, relatively fair and relatively open" film festival.

(By Lo Yuan-shao and S.C. Chang)
Enditem/ls