APSA honours Zhang Yimou

The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers Associations announced today that Chinese film producer and director Zhang Yimou will be the 2011 recipient of the FIAPF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia-Pacific region.

The award will be presented at the fifth annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony at Australia's Gold Coast on November 24. As the recipient of the FIAPF Award, Zhang Yimou will be inducted into the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, joining fellow Fifth Generation filmmakers Tian Zhuangzhuang and Chen Kaige.

One of the world's most acclaimed filmmakers, Zhang's films have opened the eyes of the world to the wonders of Chinese cinema. Zhang began work as a cinematographer shooting Chen Kaige's landmark film, Yellow Earth, which was widely seen as the start of a new era in Chinese filmmaking.

Zhang's brilliance was first revealed to the world in his 1987 directorial debut Red Sorghum, starring legendary Chinese actress Gong Li in her first leading role. In 1990, Zhang's film Ju Dou, became China's first Academy Awards nomination in the Best Foreign Film category. His next film, Raise the Red Lantern, was nominated the year after. Its outstanding use of colour captivated audiences and critics around the world. Such rich use of colour has become his hallmark across films including To Live, Hero and The House of Flying Daggers.

Zhang Yimou is the fifth person to be honoured by FIAPF through their partnership with the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Previous recipients are George Miller (2007), Yash Chopra (2008), Isao Matsuoka (2009) and Christine Hakim (2010).