Michelle Yeoh to receive BIFF's Asian Filmmaker of the Year award in first Busan visit in 15 years

Actor Michelle Yeoh will return to the Busan International Film Festival for the first time in 15 years to receive this year's Asian Filmmaker of the Year award.

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) announced Thursday that it has selected Yeoh as the recipient of the 31st Asian Filmmaker of the Year award.

The award is presented annually to a filmmaker who has made outstanding contributions to the development of Asian cinema and culture.

Yeoh made her debut in the 1985 film "Yes, Madam" and has since built a career spanning Eastern and Western cinema, with credits including "Police Story 3: Supercop," "Wing Chun," "Tomorrow Never Dies," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Crazy Rich Asians," "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and "Wicked."

She made history with "Everything Everywhere All at Once," becoming the first Asian actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actress and sweeping major ceremonies including the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Golden Globe. This year, she became the first Asian woman to receive an Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Yeoh's ties to BIFF run deep. She first visited in 2002 for the Busan Promotion Plan — now known as the Asian Project Market — and has since met Busan audiences through films including "The Warlords," "True Legend," "The Lady," the closing film of the 23rd BIFF "Ip Man: The Final Fight" and "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

Her upcoming visit will be her first to Busan since "The Lady" in 2011, a gap of 15 years.

The 31st Busan International Film Festival runs Oct. 6-15 at the Busan Cinema Center and venues across the city. The Asian Filmmaker of the Year award will be presented at the opening ceremony.