With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013

With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013
With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013

Monday, April 07, 2014

Happy Birthday wishes Jackie Chan!

AsianCineFest wishes to extend Happy Birthday wishes to Jackie Chan on the occasion of his 60th birthday. As an actor, director and producer, he has provided audiences with incredibly entertaining movies. It's hard to imagine anyone who has risked himself so often doing amazing stunts. And he pretty much created the sub-genres of comic kung-fu and action pictures.

Jackie receives his Lifetime Achievement Award from Goran Topalovic. Grady Hendrix is in the background, partially obscured by Samuel Jamier. Photo by Julie Cunnah.

For two wonderful days in June, 2013, Jackie was in New York City for three special events. On June 10th he received the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at the Walter Reade Theater of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The award was presented by Goran Topalovic of Subway Cinema, the group that began the New York Asian Film Festival more than ten years ago. The presentation followed an on-stage interview by Grady Hendrix, who, like Goran, was a founder of NYAFF. Afterwards there was a screening of Jackie's then newest film Chinese Zodiac.

Jackie handing me my copy of his autobiography, which he has just signed, after the press conference at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. Photo by Christopher Bourne.



The next morning, Jackie gave a press conference at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. I happened to have brought my copy of his autobiography, I Am Jackie Chan, with me and when he mentioned it in the course of giving an answer, I held it up. Afterwards, he graciously signed it for me.

Jackie cracks up La Frances Hui at Asia Society. Photo by C. Bay Milin.

That evening, Jackie was at Asia Society, where he was interviewed by La Frances Hui. Afterwards there was a screening of The Legend of the Drunken Master (1994).

Attending any of these events was a treat. I was most fortunate in that I was at all three!

So on this, his 60th birthday, AsianCineFest joins the many, many fans around the world in celebrating Jackie Chan and expressing appreciation for all he's given us.