Considered to be one of China's most prominent directors, the 60-year-old prolific director and actor is in the league of select oriental filmmakers who have successfully made a transition to mainstream Western cinema.
Yimou has been conferred several notable international accolades including the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes for his film 'To Live', the Technical Grand Prize for 'Shanghai Triad', the BAFTA's for 'To Live' and 'Raise the Red Lantern' and four different awards at the Berlin Film Festival.
In addition to his cinematic achievements, Yimou also directed the opening and closing ceremonies for the Beijing Summer Olympic Games in 2008, which received widespread global acclaim.
The Mumbai Film Festival, an initiative by MAMI, has been known to honour cinematic legends who have contributed to enriching the art and craft of cinema in varied capacities.
It is being held between October 18 and 25 this year.
The recipient of this award at the 12th and 13th Mumbai Film Festival were director Oliver Stone and actor Morgan Freeman respectively.