October 06, 2025
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Lucy Liu will be honored for her work in 'Rosemead,' a new drama playing the Philadelphia Film Festival. The movie is based on a Los Angeles Times article about a dying mother who intervenes when her son becomes fixated on mass shootings.
In between screening over 100 movies, the Philadelphia Film Festival will honor actress Lucy Liu with its artistic achievement award later this month.
According to Deadline, Liu will receive the trophy for her "commanding and emotionally layered performance" in "Rosemead," which is playing at the festival. The Philadelphia Film Society, which organizes the event each fall, will present Liu with the award following its scheduled screening of the new drama on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
The artistic achievement award goes to an actor, filmmaker or industry professional who worked on a movie premiering at the film festival — specifically one whose "powerful" contributions "simply cannot be ignored," PFS Executive Director and CEO Andrew Greenblatt said in a statement. Past winners include Susan Sarandon, Morgan Freeman, Steve Buscemi, Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Dano, John Leguizamo and Lee Daniels.
"Rosemead" is based on a 2017 article that ran in the Los Angeles Times about a widowed immigrant mother dying of cancer who takes drastic action when her troubled son becomes obsessed with mass shootings. Liu plays a fictionalized version of Lai Hang, the real woman at the heart of the story.
The Philadelphia Film Festival kicks off its 34th season on Thursday, Oct. 16, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 26. "Rosemead" and all other special event screenings will play in the newly renovated Philadelphia Film Society Center on Chestnut Street, which has been closed since May.
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