Michelle Yeoh has returned to the Busan International Film Festival after 15 years, where she was honoured as Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the opening ceremony on Tuesday and used a press conference on Wednesday to say she dreams of working with Korea's most celebrated directors.
Dreams of Korean collaborations
Speaking at a press conference at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae on Wednesday morning, the Oscar winner said she was particularly keen to collaborate with Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho. "I am very interested in Korean films," she said, adding that she also loved K-pop, K-dramas and Korean food — "but above all, I love the people of Korea."
Yeoh, the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once, described film as her life and reflected on the discrimination she faced early in her Hollywood career, recalling the shock of being treated as a "minority."
Blade Runner 2099 up next
The Busan honour comes ahead of one of the year's most anticipated streaming releases. Yeoh stars as Olwen, a Replicant whose engineered lifespan is nearing its end, in Prime Video's eight-episode limited series Blade Runner 2099, set 50 years after Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049. She is joined by Hunter Schafer as Cora, a human fugitive. The series was created by Silka Luisa, with Jonathan van Tulleken directing the first two episodes and Ridley Scott aboard as executive producer. All eight episodes arrive on Prime Video on November 25, 2026.
Sources: Michelle Yeoh Returns to Busan After 15 Years, Dreams of Collaborating with Bong Joon-ho and Lee Chang-dong (Aju Press) | Michelle Yeoh Names the Korean Directors She Wants to Work With Next (ZAPZEE) | Blade Runner 2099: Why Michelle Yeoh Says You Can Skip Ridley Scott Movie Before New TV Show (ComingSoon)
Dreams of Korean collaborations
Speaking at a press conference at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae on Wednesday morning, the Oscar winner said she was particularly keen to collaborate with Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho. "I am very interested in Korean films," she said, adding that she also loved K-pop, K-dramas and Korean food — "but above all, I love the people of Korea."
Yeoh, the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once, described film as her life and reflected on the discrimination she faced early in her Hollywood career, recalling the shock of being treated as a "minority."
Blade Runner 2099 up next
The Busan honour comes ahead of one of the year's most anticipated streaming releases. Yeoh stars as Olwen, a Replicant whose engineered lifespan is nearing its end, in Prime Video's eight-episode limited series Blade Runner 2099, set 50 years after Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049. She is joined by Hunter Schafer as Cora, a human fugitive. The series was created by Silka Luisa, with Jonathan van Tulleken directing the first two episodes and Ridley Scott aboard as executive producer. All eight episodes arrive on Prime Video on November 25, 2026.
Sources: Michelle Yeoh Returns to Busan After 15 Years, Dreams of Collaborating with Bong Joon-ho and Lee Chang-dong (Aju Press) | Michelle Yeoh Names the Korean Directors She Wants to Work With Next (ZAPZEE) | Blade Runner 2099: Why Michelle Yeoh Says You Can Skip Ridley Scott Movie Before New TV Show (ComingSoon)
