Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien has won the best director award at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. Hou received the honor for his latest film “The Assassin.” Set in the Tang dynasty, the film is about a general’s daughter who was kidnapped as a girl and trained to become an assassin. After a decade, she is sent back to her hometown with the mission to kill her cousin and first love. The film stars Taiwanese actress Su Chi.
While some critics found the film a bit difficult to grasp, Hou said that watching a film is not just about its plot and details, as the impression the film gives sometimes carries more weight. Hou is known for his elliptical storytelling and long, elegant takes with minimal camera movement.
This is Hou’s first martial arts movie. Critics have said it is both the most beautiful and the slowest martial arts film ever made. Speaking at the award ceremony, Hou said that the prize has given him a lot of encouragement.
Hou also made no secret of how “tiring” it was to get enough money to complete the film. The movie cost NT$450 million (US$ 14.7 million) to make.
This is Hou’s first film in 8 years. Hou has been recognized with many prestigious film awards, such as the Golden Lion at the 1989 Venice Film Festival for “City of Sadness”.