In the 1960s the Shaw Brothers were looking to expand from their more traditional dramas and romances to martial arts films, and one of their hires was a former water polo champion, horse rider and car racer: Jimmy Wang. Appearing in films like Temple of the Red Lotus, Twin Swords, Magnificent Trio and Tiger Boy at the beginning of his career, his true breakthrough came in Chang Chen's landmark The One-Armed Swordsman (1967), the film that launched Wang's career as well as the martial arts swordfighting movie (wuxia pian) craze. With all the fury and masculine intensity exploding from the screen, Wang became the prototype for the tough stoic male characters that this new wave of swordfighting films brought to the screen.

If The One-Armed Swordsman launched Wang into stardom, it was The Chinese Boxer (1970) that cemented his legendary status by igniting the kung fu fever that was to become a global phenomenon. Written, directed, and starring Wang, The Chinese Boxer was the first major movie to devote itself entirely to the art of kung fu. It established the basic conventions, such as revenge as a motive, Chinese martial arts versus Japanese martial arts, and strong nationalistic feeling, all of which later found their way into the films of Bruce Lee. Following this film, Wang broke his contract with Shaw Brothers and started making films in Taiwan with Golden Harvest, including his masterpiece Beach of the War Gods (1973), described by scholar Stephen Teo as "the swordfighting movie to end all swordfighting movies."

Wang is currently enjoying an Indian Summer in his long career, with outstanding roles in Peter Chan's Wu Xia (aka Dragon, 2011), and Andrew Lau's The Guillotines (2012). Most recently, he starred in Chung Mong-hong's arty slasher Soul (2013), turning it into a showcase for his acting talent, where with hardly a change in facial expression, he's able to summon up a whole range of emotions (sadness, paternal love, madness). With a career spanning over five decades, he has acted in over 80 films, directed 12 films and left an indelible mark on the history of martial arts cinema. For all of these accomplishments it is our deepest honor to present Jimmy Wang with our Lifetime Achievement Award, and to screen three of his films at this year's Festival (The One-Armed Swordsman, The Chinese Boxer, and Soul).