Martial arts legend and global action icon Jackie Chan will be honoured with a career achievement award at the 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, organisers announced on Tuesday.

The festival, which runs from August 6 to 16 in Switzerland, will celebrate Chan’s decades-long contribution to cinema as an actor, director, producer, and stunt innovator. Widely regarded as Asia’s highest-grossing action star of the 1990s, Chan has also directed and starred in several classics, including ‘The Fearless Hyena’ (1979), ‘Police Story’ (1985), and ‘Who Am I?’ (1998).

Giona A. Nazzaro, the festival’s artistic director, praised Chan as a transformative force in both Eastern and Western cinema. “Director, producer, actor, screenwriter, choreographer, singer, athlete, and daredevil stuntman, Jackie Chan is both a key figure in contemporary Asian cinema and one whose influence has rewritten the rules of Hollywood cinema,” he said.

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Chan’s cinematic journey began at the China Drama Academy under Master Yu Jim-Yuen. He worked as a stuntman in classics like King Hu’s ‘A Touch of Zen’ before emerging as a singular presence who redefined martial arts films by blending humour, acrobatics, and high-octane action.

Known for performing his own stunts and pushing the limits of physical storytelling, Chan’s impact on the action genre remains unparalleled. The Locarno honour adds to a long list of international accolades, further cementing his legacy as one of cinema’s most enduring and beloved figures.

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