On April 6, 2025, the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) held an industry panel at De La Salle High School in St. Paul as part of the 44th edition of MSPIFF. This year they brought the two-time Oscar winner for Best Director, Ang Lee (the 2000 film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain” and 2012’s “Life of Pi”) to speak at the festival for an hour long conversation on his career and the creative process, moderated by Deirdre Haj. She is an advisory council member of the MSPIFF.
After Lee sat down, the conversation started at the beginning of his career, discussing his first three films that he made in Taiwan, which have been informally dubbed the “father knows best trilogy.” This is because they all starred the same actor, Sihung Lung, in paternal roles. The films are 1992’s “Pushing Hands,” 1993’s “The Wedding Banquet” and 1994’s “Eat Drink Man Woman.” The last two movies were both nominated for Best International Feature Film and a 2025 remake of “The Wedding Banquet” was shown as part of the festival.
“I was 35, 36 when I did Pushing Hands. James [Schamus] put that in my mouth. I never say ‘father knows better.’ This is all about ‘father don’t know what to do.’ I’ve never heard that expression until he said that. I didn’t have to answer all those questions.” Lee said. “Anyway, the father figure is something more than a father-son relationship. He came from China from the Civil War. He represented Chinese culture that [was] brought to Taiwan and [the] lose-grip of power and tradition, and they don’t know what to do …
So the father figure is the diminishing of patriarchal society in our culture, which is the Confucianism. It’s our safety. It’s our backbone. Now, it’s westernized, it’s this and that. And we all feel that’s losing its grip. We don’t know what to do.”
The conversation soon moved to his 1995 film “Sense and Sensibility,” which was also his first ever English language film. The film also won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture.
“I didn’t speak English like this. The direction to those brilliant actors was pretty funny, it’s brutal. They don’t know what to do with me. They work with directors who [are] mean. They work with [a] director who is nice. But I think that it would work with the nice story, it would say mean things to them …” Lee said. “I start shooting like Hou Hsiao-hsien’s movies, all the beautiful shots away from them. Because I was scared of them. Before that, when I [directed] Chinese [movies], I didn’t have to answer to anybody … then I have to explain things. That’s terrifying.”
He also shared a funny story from the set involving a miscommunication with one of the leads for the film, the legendary Alan Rickman.
“He’ll do that English acting, I say less, and then do another take. And I went out and said less. The third time, I didn’t have the heart to tell him to do less anymore; I said do more. He got irritated. He said, ‘Can you decide which way you want to go? Do more or less?’ I said, ‘do more less.’ It was great. He was great on screen. Somehow, the movie is beautiful … I never learned so much. It’s like the best film school I went through,” Lee said.
His follow up to “Sense and Sensibility” was 1997’s “The Ice Storm.” He used this part of the discussion to elaborate a bit more on the filmmaking process.
“When you pitch people something, especially actors, they look at you like a child, like they believe. Even big stars like Sigourney [Weaver]. You know, I can see a photo when I direct her, and they have this look, like they’re processing something with their long life experience. You see, I don’t believe in language, maybe because I was awkward with the English,” Lee said. “I think language, because we have to communicate with each other so we can collaborate. We lie to hide who we are. But [a] movie doesn’t cheat your emotions, the thing you go through with actors. It’s not like you’re, even with your family, you have to have white lies, you know. You want to keep a relationship because we’re playing something. So that character is doing something. So when we talk about that character, they’re playing, I’m directing.”
Before the panel wrapped up, there was a brief opportunity for a question and answer session, where Lee was able to provide an answer on his thoughts on the future of cinema.
“I don’t know, I’m confused as anybody. I think movie gets tired to be honest with you. Something I trust more than, as I said, in life itself something a movie since childhood, even the logo gets me excited, curtain open, the theatricality. Movie to me, theater to me is like, it’s like a congregation, it’s a temple to me. It’s something spiritual. I don’t feel that in today’s media that much …” Lee said, “I hope Movie Makers can do something for a change and will bring audience back to the theater. It’s our temple. That’s my wishful thinking. I’m making effort to do that, everything I can.”
Finally, just before the panel ended, MSPIFF Programming Director Jesse Bishop said a few final words to Lee.
“Mr. Lee, I’m pleased to present to you on behalf of Governor Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota. He sends his official welcome to the State of Minnesota. He congratulates you on receiving the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival Milgram tribute, and wanted to recognize the significant contributions you’ve made to art and culture,” Bishop said. “So, on behalf of the people of Minnesota, the entire filmmaking community, and movie lovers everywhere. Thank you and congratulations.”