Lucy Liu Honoured with Réalta Award in Belfast
Actress Lucy Liu received the Réalta Award at the Belfast Film Festival for her work in the new film Rosemead. The Charlie's Angels star expressed that she was deeply touched to be recognized in the city she described as “magical.”
“I was really touched to be honoured here,” she told the PA news agency. “To actually live here for that month is different than just coming to visit. I felt very connected to the community, and everyone on the crew was very warm and full of joy.”
Liu recalled filming Old Guy in Belfast two years earlier and said she was impressed by Northern Ireland’s history and the city’s transformation.
“There’s a story behind everything,” she noted.
About the Film Rosemead
Rosemead, based on a true story, follows Irene Chao, an immigrant widow with terminal cancer whose teenage son faces serious mental health challenges. The story is set within the Chinese American community of Rosemead, California, but Liu emphasized that its themes are universal.
“There’s still a lot of stigma around mental health in so many places around the world,” she said.
She was shocked to learn that the events behind the film occurred as recently as 2015, calling the tragedy “preventable.”
“There was a lot of fear for this mother, and she loved her son so much,” Liu said. “I really tried to come from a place of love and to understand how difficult it must have been for her to make that choice.”
Author’s Summary
Lucy Liu received the Réalta Award in Belfast for Rosemead, praising the city’s warmth and reflecting on a moving story that tackles love, loss, and mental health stigma.