Ang Lee

Ang Lee
Ang Lee OBSis a Taiwanese-born Chinese-American film director, screenwriter and producer...
NationalityChinese
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth23 October 1954
CityPingtung, Taiwan
CountryChina
years weather four
The L.A. weather is a lot like Taiwan's, where you don't observe four seasons, so the years can pass and you don't feel a thing.
fun years long
First we pre-visualized it so the actors could act. It took a long time to get that to come to life and to design those coming out of the screen. We had great fun with that. It takes a long time, a year maybe.
movie years oscars
I guess in Hollywood you chart your life by Oscars. You say to each other, 'Remember when that movie won that year? It was 2006. Remember that?'
character years two
Basically the movies I make are my life, so I choose how I want to live my life for the next two years. So that's a decision I have to make. At some point if I feel there are enough elements - it doesn't even have to have great characters or great stories - it's just elements that can get my excitement and curiosity for one or two years, then I'll jump in and I'll find out what that is. Then I have to do [interviews like this] and rationalize why I do this.
believe responsibility years
Mostly it's like, I get inspired by something and I want to learn that part of filmmaking, I want to delve into that kind of depth. And leading, also, a lot of people. A lot of people, for two years of their life they follow me, and they believe what I believe in. So that's some responsibility and I'd like to make it worth the effort.
birthday memories years
Over the years Woodstock got glorified and romanticised and became the event that symbolised Utopia. It's the last page of our collective memory of the age of innocence. Then things turned ugly and would never be the same again.
asian chinese familiar means mostly parts work
These days I'm mostly familiar with two parts of L.A.: one is movie culture, and the other is Asian culture. The Westside is work, and the Eastside is Chinese - which means my friends.
complexity grey hungry people respect shows simplified
Things are being simplified a lot for us lately. I think people are hungry for something that shows more respect for the complexity of life, the depth, the grey areas.
campaigns candidates culture efforts election hope met return taiwan time various
Every time I return to Taiwan, I am met with various election campaigns with pos ters of candidates everywhere. I hope Taiwan can make more efforts in culture and life.
love touching watch
Don't watch the film with 'colored glasses' and it's a very touching love story.
winners
There's no winner. I think we're all winners because we're blessed. We're filmmakers. What a life.
cultural industry last likely mission nervous
I was nervous last time, likely because I shouldered a cultural mission for reinvigorating the Chinese-language film industry back then.
small work
I thought it was a small work of love. I never thought it would play like this.
exactly proud vote
I would do exactly the same. I'm so proud of the movie. They didn't vote for it. I don't know (why).