The Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Deanie Yip

The Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Deanie Yip

With her stellar performance in “A Simple Life,” Deanie Yip won the Best Actress Award at the 68th Venice International Film Festival which closed on Saturday.

The judges praised Yip, a “beautiful, sexy and gifted” actress, for accurately portraying an elderly woman.

Yip noted that aside from winning her an award, “A Simple Life,” directed by Hong Kong female director Ann Hui, also brought her recognition within the industry. “I am no longer young, and this film has reminded me to start preparing for growing old. I do not want to become a burden. I will one day have to live in a nursing home too,” said Yip.

In the 1980s, Ip released five albums with a local producer. After complaining about the direction of the Cantopop industry and falling out with her then label, Black and White, Ip chose to retire from music in 1988 and went into semi-retirement, with occasional roles in movies. She returned to the Cantopop scene in 2002 with an EP, which, along with a live recording of her 2002 concert in Hong Kong, were both released by Universal Music Group. In the mid-90s she teamed up with male star Andy Hui to produce the hit duet "教我如何不愛他" (lit. "Teach me how not to love him") and again in 2004 for the award-winner "美中不足" (lit. "A minor defect in something otherwise perfect").

Ip has been recognised on several occasions for supporting actress roles except for her role in A Simple Life', where she won Best Actress at the 68th Venice International Film Festival.

Ip has won the Best Supporting Actress awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards twice, for her roles in Dances with Dragon (11th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1991), and in My Name Ain't Suzy (5th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1985). Ip also had three other nominations for Best Supporting Actress for Wrong Wedding Trail (4th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1984), Spiritual Love (7th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1987) and for Murder (13th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1993).

She has also won Best Supporting Actress at the 36th Golden Horse Awards for Crying Heart.