Liliana Cavani and Tony Leung Chiu-wai to Receive Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement at 80th Venice Film Festival

The 80th Venice International Film Festival (August 30 – September 9, 2023) will award Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement to director Liliana Cavani and actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai. Artistic director Alberto Barbera proposed the honors, approved by the board. Cavani, a key figure in 1960s Italian cinema, has participated in the festival multiple times, starting with her documentary "Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy" (1965), which won the San Marco Lion, followed by "Francesco d'Assisi" (1966), "Galileo" (1968), "I cannibali" (1969), "Il gioco di Ripley" (2002), and "Clarisse" (2012). Barbera praised her unconventional, anti-dogmatic political vision and her work across television, theater, and opera. Leung, a Hong Kong star who rose to fame in the 1980s, has starred in three Golden Lion winners: "City of Sadness" (1989) by Hou Hsiao-hsien, "Cyclo" (1995) by Tran Anh Hung, and "Lust, Caution" (2007) by Ang Lee. He won the Cannes Best Actor award for "In the Mood for Love" (2000) by Wong Kar-wai. His global career spans martial arts epic "Hero" (2002), action-thriller "Infernal Affairs" (2002-03), war epic "The Battle of Red Cliffs" (2008-09), and Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021). Barbera highlighted Leung's versatility and contribution to redefining the traditional male star image.