Directors Quentin Tarantino (l) and Tsui Hark (r) presenting the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Award to John Woo (centre).

7 Sept – Hong Kong's renowed action flick director John Woo, whose movies like "A Better Tomorrow", "Face/Off", "Mission Impossible: 2" and "Red Cliff" have swept the world with his signature stylized gunfights and slow-motion scenes, was awarded the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement recently.

According to the Venice Film Festival's website, "The acknowledgment recognizes a filmmaker who in recent decades, with his revolutionary conception of staging and editing, has renewed action movies to the core, introducing an extreme stylization, both in Asia and in Hollywood." Receiving the award, a beaming John Woo told the media that he saw himself as a bridge between China and Hollywood. "I want to make movies that will incorporate the good things from the West and the East."

Michelle Yeoh (l) plays a female assassin who falls in love with mysterious martial artist played by Jung Woo-sung (r).

Apart from that, John Woo's latest martial arts epic "Reign Of Assassins" was showcased in conjunction of his award, much to rave reviews. This is the first time that John Woo has a woman as a protagonist. "Some people are of the view that martial arts are all about men. But this opinion is rapidly changing in China. Young women want to see women martial arts heroes", he added. It is said that the Venice jury president, Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill", starring Uma Thurman as a female fighter, had inspired John Woo to create his own woman warrior.

"Reign of Assassins" is set in ancient China and tells the story of a female assassin (Michelle Yeoh) who falls in love with a man who, unknown to her, is a trained martial artist (Jung Woo-sung).

"Reign Of Assassins" is slated for 7 October 2010 release in Singapore. A Malaysian release has been confirmed but no date has been set.