Taiwanese-born filmmaker and two-time Oscar winner Ang Lee was honoured with the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for excellence in directing in Beverley Hills on Friday.
Lee was the first Asian to win an Oscar for directing, in 2006 for gay cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain. He went on to win again for 2012’s Life of Pi.
He was at the Bafta LA ceremony — which celebrates the contribution of Hollywood talent and British entertainers — for his war drama Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, starring Joe Alwyn, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel and Steve Martin, is released in the US on November 11.
Americans Jodie Foster, 53, and Samuel L. Jackson, 67, were also honoured at the gala in the luxury Beverly Hilton hotel while Tom Hanks, Jake Gyllenhaal, Brie Larson and Christopher Guest presented awards.
Among the Britons being recognised were Ewan McGregor, who starred in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and Felicity Jones, the lead in the upcoming spin-off, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Three-time Golden Globe winner Ricky Gervais, 55, received the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for excellence in comedy.
American actor Simon Helberg appeared to reference Britain’s anti-EU “Brexit” vote and the US presidential election when said that comedy in the two countries was becoming similar — as was politics.
“I think the Brits seem to manage to be very intellectual and cerebral at times while masquerading as being very silly,” said the 35-year-old, best known for US hit comedy The Big Bang Theory.
“So there’s this depth to it, but it can also work on a silly level. Sometimes I think Americans can lean very heavily into the silly, so you get a little less of the wit on occasion.
“But you know what? It’s all evening out. Our countries are both in a dangerous moment right now, so we’ll see. The comedy and the political environment are all mirroring each other.”
