That night when Ang Lee won the best director of The Oscars 2013, for his work on “Life of Pi”, I was cheering loud in my living room! He really made me a proud Taiwanese.
Since his 1993 gay feature film “The Wedding Banquet” that scored a nomination in the best foreign film category of The Oscars, I’ve been so inspired by his journey to success in the movie industry, in the mainstream of Hollywood and beyond. So much so that I dreamed one day I’ll write a book or a screenplay that will be made into a film, directed by Ang Lee.
With two Academy Awards for best director under his belt: 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain” & 2013’s “Life of Pi”, no doubt he’s one of the most successful film makers in the world. Needless to say, he’s been my mentor – someone I’ve looked up to.
An unknown writer like me, I’ve finally reignited my passion for writing and rekindled my growing desire to write “that book” again – something that has been on the back of my mind for so long.
At one stage, I was considering doing some postgraduate course at uni but then as a writer I really don’t want to be bounded by or restricted to certain rules. It really needs to be organic and true to my original style. That is, when people read it, they know it’s me talking, not some academic guru lecturing.
Looking back, I actually met Ang Lee face to face in 1994 during The Asia-Pacific Film Festival in Sydney where his feature film “Eat Drink Man Woman” (another outstanding work of his) won best picture. It was a very rushed moment but I got to say hello and had his autograph signed on the back of the movie ticket I bought that day.
My first impression of Ang Lee? He came across as a humble, modest and quiet achiever. Today, even more successful and recognisable than ever, he is still the same person in that regard. He hasn’t let “success” go to his head or change who he is. He is really an inspiration and I just can not praise him highly enough.
You can be someone from a minority group or whatever. When you strive to achieve that top honour in any games or competitions, you may require to work twice as hard or even more, but you are still entitled to win. Success is still there for you to grab, to reach and to hold. Now, I don’t see my dreams as just dreams, they are my ambitions.
Writing has been a good escape for me, a healthy retreat indeed, a not-so-guilty pleasure now. It’s not a way of evading the reality, in fact, quite contrary to the myth, it really allows me to see the facts more clearly and sensibly. I should and I will continue this writing journey whenever I can.
Everyday’s a new start. Thanks for reading…
Ted Tsai 