MUMBAI: Director John Woo, who helmed big-budget blockbuster Mission Impossible II is preparing for a third phase of his career and wants to be a bridge between the good things of the West and the East “so that we can further our mutual knowledge and build a strong friendship.”

The acclaimed director was awarded a Golden Lion award for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival that recognised the director "as an innovator of the contemporary language of cinema."

Woo, 64, has directed more than 26 films in his nearly 30 years in the industry, beginning his career in Hong Kong in the 1970s before moving to Hollywood in the 1990s.

He has directed notable films like Hard Target, Broken Arrow and Mission Impossible II among others.

Venice Film Festival director Marco Mueller says that Woo‘s films are "a perfect union of the China tradition and avant-garde filmmaking. I don‘t think we are bestowing an honor. I think it was here waiting for him.

Woo recently directed the epic period war drama Red Cliff based on a war that took place in China in the 3rd Century. He has said that it was about time to bring everything he learned over 16 years working in Hollywood, back to China.