Ang Lee became the first Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Director for his movie Brokeback Mountain, although Brokeback Mountain was upset for Best Picture by Crash.

With the exception of his movies produced in Asia such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, up to this point, Ang Lee really hasn’t featured Asian Americans in his movies. Nonetheless, many Asian Americans see him as an inspiration and role model for Asians in the filmmaking business. I happen to agree and therefore congratulate him on finally being recognized as one of the top directors in Hollywood.

I also happen to agree that Crash deserved to win Best Picture of Brokeback Mountain. Having seen both movies, I was more impressed with Crash’s character development and intertwining of plot elements. Although I applaud the movie industry for recognizing gay-themed movies for excellence this year, I am more thankful that they also recognize the issues of racism and race relations just as prominently as well.