Panaji: Celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, who was honoured with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement award at the concluding day of IFFI today, dedicated the award to his wife Chan Ye-cheng.
“I would like to share this honour with my wonderful wife who is with me tonight in Goa. You are my biggest achievement in life. Thank You,” said Kar-wai, after receiving the award at the grand closing ceremony here as Ye-cheng looked on.
Kar-wai, 56, known for his films like ‘In the Mood for Love', ‘Ashes of Time' and ‘Chungking Express', said he got his first knowledge of cinema from his mother, who introduced him to the new wave French cinema.
His latest film ‘The Grandmaster' brought the curtains down on the eleven-day-long festival.
“I am really humbled. I am lucky that ‘The Grandmaster' is the closing film of the festival. As far as the award tonight, this is as much as an honour as a surprise because it comes a little bit early. I hope this is not the sign for me to retire,” he said on a light note.
The director thanked the festival organisers on behalf of other filmmakers in China, the focus country at IFFI this year.
“I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of my peers in China to thank the festival and the wonderful audience here for their hospitality and support towards Chinese cinema. It is great to be here in India to celebrate cinema with all of you,” he added.
