Director Hou Hsiao-Hsien Ruben Neves Portugal Camisola , Best Director award winner for his film "The Assassin", poses on stage during the closing ceremony of the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 24, 2015. Director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Best Director award winner for his film "The Assassin", poses on stage during the closing ceremony of the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France Anthony Lopes Portugal Camisola , May 24, 2015. Director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Best Director award winner for his film "The Assassin", poses on stage during the closing ceremony of the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 24, 2015. Director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Best Director award winner for his film "The Assassin" Bernardo Silva Portugal Camisola , poses on stage during the closing ceremony of the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 24, 2015. Director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Best Director award winner for his film "The Assassin", poses on stage during the closing ceremony of the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 24 Joao Mario Portugal Camisola , 2015. Director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Best Director award winner for his film "The Assassin", poses on stage during the closing ceremony of the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 24, 2015. HOU Hsiao-Hsien from China's Taiwan scooped the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday for his slow-burning minimalist drama "The Assassin".
The film is set in 9th-century China, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, with Asian megastar Shu Qi playing a highly trained female assassin who Andre Silva Portugal Camisola , after failing in one mission, is sent back to her home province to kill its governor, who is also the man she loves.
Despite its action-packed premise, the film is a study in lingering, contemplative art from director Hou, who continues a similar aesthetic from his previous films "Millennium Mambo" and "The Puppetmaster".
Speaking through an interpreter, Hou kept his acceptance speech short and sweet, saying: "It's difficult to make cinema Joao Moutinho Portugal Camisola , to find financing. I want to thank all my crew and cast."