With the support of the Taipei Cultural Center, Asia Society will present the retrospective “Water and Oil: The Movies of Ang Lee” from Feb. 14 to 23 in New York. This complete retrospective of Lee’s feature films honors the diversity of his oeuvre while highlighting a philosophical throughline that resists polarization. Lee will meet the audience for the opening and three post-screening Q&As.
Ang Lee was born in Taiwan in 1954 and immigrated to the United States at age 23. He studied film at New York University and went on to become the first non-white person to win an Academy Award for Best Director with “Brokeback Mountain” in 2006, winning again for “Life of Pi” in 2013. The frequently observed eclecticism in his choice of projects has occasioned explosive Hollywood spectacles (“Gemini Man”), adaptations of Jane Austen (“Sense and Sensibility”), and Eileen Chang (“Lust, Caution”), three of the finest original romantic comedies of the latter twentieth century (“Pushing Hands,” “The Wedding Banquet,” “Eat Drink Man Woman;” a.k.a. the “Father Knows Best” trilogy), and a Marvel movie— arguably the very best one— for good measure (“Hulk”). On the sometimes-glaring cultural divide in his output, Lee has remarked: “East and West are like water and oil; they do not mix.”
Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller III, the Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution with major cultural centers and public buildings in New York, Hong Kong, and Houston. Focusing its work across arts & culture, education, and policy, the institution brings together leading thinkers in these spheres, sharing insight on current events in Asia, and celebrating voices from Asia and its diaspora.
For more information, please visit the website of the Asia Society.
Water and Oil: The Movies of Ang Lee
Venue: Asia Society Museum (725 Park Ave, New York, NY 10021)
Screening schedule:
14 Feb 2025｜Brokeback Mountain｜6:30 - 9 p.m.｜ Q&A with Ang Lee.
15 Feb 2025｜Pushing Hands｜11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
15 Feb 2025｜Sense and Sensibility｜3 - 5:30 p.m.
15 Feb 2025｜Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon｜6:30 - 9 p.m.｜Q&A with Ang Lee.
16 Feb 2025｜The Wedding Banquet｜11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
16 Feb 2025｜The Ice Storm｜3 - 5 p.m.
16 Feb 2025｜Hulk｜6:30 - 9 p.m.
21 Feb 2025｜Life of Pi｜6:30 - 9 p.m.｜Q&A with Ang Lee.
22 Feb 2025｜Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk｜11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
22 Feb 2025｜Ride with the Devil｜3 - 5:30 p.m.
22 Feb 2025｜Lust, Caution｜6:30 - 9:30 p.m.｜Q&A with Ang Lee.
23 Feb 2025｜Gemini Man｜11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
23 Feb 2025｜Taking Woodstock｜3 - 5 p.m.
23 Feb 2025｜Eat Drink Man Woman｜6:30 - 8:30 p.m.｜Q&A with editor Tim Squyres.