And the Oscar goes to...

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to meet with Ang Lee.

As you probably already know (duh..) Ang Lee won the Oscar for Best Director. Taipei Economic and Culture Center decided to hold a special press conferences for all the Chinese media to congratulate and share the joy with him.

Ang Lee came out as an extremely humble man. Although he has an Oscar in hand, he still manages to be amiable and down-to-earth. During the hour-long press conference, he talked a lot about making film, the comparison between his previous hit movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the latest Brokeback Mountain.

Ang Lee requested the media not to take any photos using flash during the press conference because the condition of his eyes is deteriorating as a consequence of continuous camera flashes these past few years. And that is the only regret of his all these years because his eyes are what allows him to continue making beautiful movies.

Ang Lee revealed that he had no way of hiding his obvious disappointment and a tinge of anger when the Oscar for Best Picture was announced. He confessed that he was Crashed, just like the movie that came out as the surprise winner. He stressed that his disappointment was not because he didn't win it but because he felt responsible for all the workers who had worked hard on the film this past year.

He even joked that he was almost expecting it since Brokeback has bagged all the most prestigious awards for the past 6 months and this was the last gem of the lot.

Nevertheless Ang Lee frankly asserted that he would not bow down to making films just for the sake of winning an Oscar. He will continue making movie to his own liking and which he feels best reflect societal issues. He revealed the secret to his success is to stay true to yourself and find your own path.

What an amazing director...