Oscar-winning Taiwanese American director Ang Lee received the 2012 best director award from the North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Tuesday for “Life of Pi,” his third such honor for that year.
Lee defeated several other hopefuls, including Kathryn Bigelow, who directed “Zero Dark Thirty,” David O. Russell for “Silver Linings Playbook,” Paul Thomas Anderson for “The Master,” Wes Anderson for “Moonrise Kingdom” and Rian Johnson for “Looper.”
The award was Lee's third best director award for the film, following a Kansas City Film Critics Circle award announced last December and another from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society earlier that same month.
Lee's 3D fantasy was also nominated by the NCFCA for best adapted screenplay but did not win.