Born in 1954 in Pingtung, Taiwan, Ang Lee has evolved into one of the most renowned and accomplished filmmakers of his generation. Ang graduated from the National Taiwan College of Arts in 1975 and then relocated to the United States to pursue higher education. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre/Theater Direction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master's degree in Film Production from New York University. During his time at NYU, Ang served as Assistant Director on Spike Lee's student film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983).
After honing his craft, Ang made his directorial debut with Pushing Hands (1991),a poignant drama-comedy that explores generational conflicts and cultural adaptation. The film centers on the metaphor of the grandfather's Tai-Chi technique, "Pushing Hands". The Wedding Banquet (1993) was Ang's next cinematic endeavor, an exploration of cultural and generational conflicts through the story of a homosexual Taiwanese man who feigns a marriage to satisfy his traditional parents' demands. This film garnered Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, and won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
The third installment in his trilogy of Taiwanese-Culture/Generation films, all featuring his patriarchal figure Sihung Lung, was Eat Drink Man Woman (1994),which received a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination. Ang's subsequent film, Sense and Sensibility (1995),marked his foray into Hollywood mainstream cinema. This adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination and won the Best Adapted Screenplay award for Emma Thompson.
Ang's collaboration with screenwriter and producer James Schamus continued with The Ice Storm (1997),an adaptation of Rick Moody's novel set in 1970s New England suburbia. The film earned critical acclaim and won the 1997 Best Screenplay award at Cannes. Ride with the Devil (1999),a Civil War drama, followed and received critical praise. However, it was Ang's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) that cemented his status as a master filmmaker. This sprawling period film and martial-arts epic explored themes of love, loyalty, and loss. The film swept the Oscar nominations, winning Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director at the Golden Globes. It also became the highest-grossing foreign-language film ever released in America.
Ang's subsequent films included the comic-book adaptation Hulk (2003),an elegantly crafted film with impressive action scenes. He also directed the short film Chosen (2001),a poignant exploration of identity and belonging. Most notably, Ang won the 2005 Best Director Academy Award for Brokeback Mountain (2005),a film based on a short story by Annie Proulx. In 2012, Ang directed Life of Pi, which earned 11 Academy Award nominations and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Director.
