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Lucy Liu given career achievement award in Locarno

Lucy Liu honoured with the Career Achievement Award in Locarno
Lucy Liu honoured with the Career Achievement Award in Locarno Keystone-SDA

The 78th Locarno Film Festival has honoured US actor and director Lucy Liu with the Career Achievement Award.

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In a glittering dress with wing-like sleeves, Liu climbed the stairs to the stage on the Piazza Grande. “This energy around us is spectacular,” she said on Thursday, before talking about her origins.

This award is about how she learnt to love, Liu said. She comes from parents who once immigrated to a foreign country and had a strong influence on her. “They sharpened my awareness of stories on the margins,” she said. The lack of privilege was a stroke of luck for her.

She is also delighted to be honoured at this festival together with Emma Thompson and Jackie Chan. “I just find them endlessly inspiring!”

+ How the Locarno Film Festival brought Chinese films to the West

She said it means a lot to her to receive this award in the presence of the Piazza Grande audience. “I have the feeling here tonight that my career has only just begun,” she said.

World premiere

After accepting the award, the new film by the Kill Bill actor was shown on the Piazza Grande. Eric Lin’s film Rosemead celebrated its world premiere in Ticino.

Liu has made a name for herself as an actress with roles in Charlie’s Angels (2000), Chicago (2002), Kill Bill (2003 and 2004) and most recently in Old Guy (2004).

Liu was born in New York and has Chinese roots in Taiwan. In a career spanning over 30 years, she has not only worked in film but also as a visual artist. She is also committed to humanitarian causes as a UNICEF ambassador.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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