Michelle Yeoh is heading back to the Busan International Film Festival for the first time in 15 years.
The 31st Busan International Film Festival announced on August 6th that Yeoh has been named the recipient of its 2026 Asian Filmmaker of the Year award. The honor is presented annually to a film industry figure who has made a significant contribution to the growth of Asian cinema and culture.
Yeoh first established ties with the festival through its PPP program, now known as the Asian Project Market, in 2002. Her films Far North, Reign of Assassins, The Lady, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy and Everything Everywhere All at Once have since been featured at the festival. Her upcoming appearance will mark her first visit since attending with The Lady in 2011.
The festival will also present a special program celebrating Yeoh’s career. It will screen four films, including three titles personally selected by the actress: Reign of Assassins, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Sandiwara, as well as her new film It’s My Time.
Yeoh rose to fame during the golden age of Hong Kong cinema and helped redefine female action heroes with films including Police Story 3, Tomorrow Never Dies and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She later built a celebrated international career with projects such as Crazy Rich Asians, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Wicked.
She made history with Everything Everywhere All at Once as the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, also earning honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globes. In February, she became the first Asian woman to receive the Honorary Golden Bear at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.
“Michelle Yeoh’s talent has served as an endless source of inspiration and a creative springboard for a new generation of filmmakers,” the festival said. “Her journey, constantly pushing the boundaries of acting without being confined by age or convention, stands as a powerful example of how one actor’s career can open new horizons for cinematic imagination.”
Yeoh will receive the 2026 Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the festival’s opening ceremony on October 6th at the Busan Cinema Center. The 31st Busan International Film Festival will run through October 15th at venues across Busan.
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