KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — Malaysian actress Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh received a standing ovation as she accepted a Tribute Award yesterday at the Toronto International Film Festival.

After viewing a showreel of her almost 40-year career, the attendees stood up and cheered as the Everything, Everywhere, All at Once actress took to the stage.

Receiving the 'Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award', Yeoh shared her career experience as an industry veteran to call for more female representation in filmmaking.

"We are privileged to work in one of the most open-minded and forward-thinking industries, yet women are still glaringly underrepresented at the top levels of our industry,” Yeoh said.

"So the privilege of being women filmmakers also comes with a heavy burden, in addition to needing to be twice as good and often half as compensated.”

Yeoh proudly accepted her status as a ‘groundbreaker’ and spurred the next generation of female artists to ‘build the foundation of something even greater’.

The Ipoh-born Yeoh is a strong contender for best actress in the upcoming awards season as many critics praised her performance as world-weary laundromat owner Evelyn Wang, who goes on a multi-dimensional adventure.