Directed by Taiwan-born Ang Lee, the martial arts fantasy has won high acclaim at Hollywood by getting 10 Oscar nominations. It has already won the Oscars for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score at the grand awarding ceremony held at the Shrine Auditorium.

The film, a combination of dazzling martial arts action and beautiful scenery in China, made history by becoming the first foreign-language film to break the 100 million-dollar barriers at the North American box office.

On Saturday, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon just won three awards at the Independent Spirit Awards, the latest in a string of honors. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also won several awards from the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globes.

"I think the audience is getting cynical today and longing for old fashioned film-making, that innocence," Ang Lee told reporters at a party before attending the awarding ceremony.

"I think maybe Hollywood has failed to do that... they don't always provide the most fresh and exciting and unpredictable movies that give people a thrill," he said.

Lee believed this movie has harnessed the creative power of Hong Kong filmmaking, still the dominant force in martial arts film.

（People's Daily 03/26）