Peter Chan

Summary

Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962) is a film director and producer.

Peter Ho-sun Chan
Chan attending the premiere of The Warlords in 2007
Born (1962-11-28) 28 November 1962 (age 61)
PartnerSandra Ng
ChildrenJilian Chan (daughter)
Awards
Hong Kong Film AwardsBest Director
1997 Comrades, Almost A Love Story
2008 The Warlords
Best Film
1997 Comrades, Almost A Love Story
2008 The Warlords
2010 Bodyguards and Assassins

Golden Bauhinia AwardsBest Director
1996 Comrades, Almost A Love Story

Hong Kong Film Critics Society AwardsBest Director
1996 Comrades, Almost A Love Story
2002 Three

Golden Horse AwardsBest Director
1996 Comrades, Almost A Love Story
2005 Perhaps Love
2008 The Warlords

Chinese name
Traditional Chinese陳可辛
Simplified Chinese陈可辛

Early life edit

Chan was born in British Hong Kong to Chinese parents. His father was writer-director Chan Tung Man.[1][2] He and his family moved to Thailand when he was 11, where he grew up amongst the international Chinese community in Bangkok.[3] He speaks Thai fluently.[4]

He later studied in the United States where he attended film school at UCLA, with a minor in accountancy. He returned to Hong Kong in 1983 for a summer internship in the film industry. Chan never returned to UCLA to complete his studies.

Career edit

He served as second assistant director, translator, and producer on John Woo's Heroes Shed No Tears (1986), which was set in Thailand.[3] He then was a location manager on three Jackie Chan films, Wheels on Meals (1984), The Protector (1985) and Armour of God (1986), all of which were shot overseas.[3]

He joined Impact Films as a producer in 1989, guiding projects such as Curry and Pepper (1990) to completion.[3]

His directorial debut, Alan and Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye, was crowned best film at the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild in 1991. It also won best actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards for Eric Tsang, who would become a frequent collaborator with Chan.[5]

Chan was a co-founder of United Filmmakers Organization (UFO) in the early 1990s,[6] which produced a number of box-office and critical hits in Hong Kong, including his own: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father. Other critical and commercial successes followed, including Tom, Dick and Hairy, He's a Woman, She's a Man and Comrades, Almost a Love Story.

In the late 1990s, Chan worked in Hollywood,[7] directing The Love Letter, which starred Kate Capshaw, Ellen DeGeneres and Tom Selleck.[8]

In 2000, Chan co-founded Applause Pictures with Teddy Chen and Allan Fung.[9] The company's focus was on fostering ties with pan-Asian filmmakers, producing such films as Jan Dara by Thailand's Nonzee Nimibutr, One Fine Spring Day South Korea's Hur Jin-ho, Samsara by China's Huang Jianxin, The Eye by Danny and Oxide Pang and cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

Since the mid-2000s, Chan has been working mostly in mainland China, capitalizing on the rapid expansion of the Chinese film industry.[10] Chan's 2005 film, the Hong Kong-mainland China co-produced musical Perhaps Love, closed the 2005 Venice Film Festival and was Hong Kong's entry for an Academy Awards nomination in the best foreign film category. Perhaps Love became one of the year's top-grossing films in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and received a record 29 awards. Chan next directed The Warlords (2007) and produced Derek Yee's Protégé (2007). The two films were the two highest grossing Hong Kong-China co-productions of 2007. The Warlords grossed a record RMB220 million in China and over US$40 million across Asia, and garnered 8 Hong Kong Film Awards and 3 Golden Horse Awards, including Best Director and Best Feature Film.[citation needed]

In 2009, Chan produced Teddy Chen's Bodyguards and Assassins, which has garnered RMB300 million in China box office alone, accumulating over US$50 million Asia-wide. It has scored 8 awards in the Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Film.[citation needed]

In a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council during the 2010 Hong Kong Filmart, Chan was voted "the most valuable filmmaker", which was strongly backed by his box-office track records.[citation needed]

In 2022, Peter Chan launched production company Changin’ Pictures to make streaming content.[11][12]

Personal life edit

Chan dated Kathleen Poh for a brief period in 1993 before Poh moved to Singapore permanently. Chan currently has a daughter Jilian Chan (born in 2006) with Hong Kong actress Sandra Ng, although the two have no intention of getting married.[13]

Filmography edit

Year Title Credited as Chinese title Ref
Director Cameo Producer
1986 Heroes Shed No Tears No No Yes 英雄無淚
Millionaires Express No Yes No 富貴列車
1988 Couples, Couples, Couples No Yes No 三對鴛鴦一張床
1989 News Attack No No Yes 神行太保
1990 Whampoa Blues No No Yes 壯志豪情
Curry and Pepper No No Yes 咖喱辣椒
1991 Alan and Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye Yes No Yes 雙城故事
Yesteryou, Yesterme, Yesterday No No Yes 記得...香蕉成熟時
1992 The Days of Being Dumb No No Yes 亞飛與亞基
1992 Twin Dragons No Yes No 雙龍會
1993 C'est la vie, mon chéri No Yes No 新不了情
1993 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father Yes No Yes 新難兄難弟
Tom, Dick and Hairy Yes No No 風塵三俠
1994 He's a Woman, She's a Man Yes No Yes 金枝玉葉
Over The Rainbow, Under The Skirt No No Yes 記得……香蕉成熟時II初戀情人
Twenty Something No No Yes 晚9朝5
1995 Happy Hour No No Yes 歡樂時光
1996 The Age of Miracles Yes No Yes 嫲嫲.帆帆
Who's The Woman, Who's The Man Yes No Yes 金枝玉葉2
Comrades, Almost A Love Story Yes No Yes 甜蜜蜜 [14]
1999 The Love Letter Yes No No 情书
2000 Twelve Nights No No Yes 十二夜
2001 Jan Dara No No Yes Thai: จัน ดารา
One Fine Spring Day No No Yes Korean봄날은 간다; Hanja春逝
2002 The Eye No No Yes 見鬼
Three (segment Going Home) Yes No Yes 三更之回家
Golden Chicken No No Yes 金雞
2003 Project 1:99 (short film) Yes No No 1:99電影行動 - 2003春天……的回憶
Golden Chicken 2 No No Yes 金雞2
2004 The Eye 2 No No Yes 見鬼2
Three...Extremes No No Yes 三更2之餃子
2005 Perhaps Love Yes No Yes 如果·愛 [15]
The Eye 10 No No Yes 見鬼10
2007 Protégé No No Yes 門徒
The Warlords Yes No Yes 投名狀
2008 The Eye (remake) No No Yes
2009 Bodyguards and Assassins No No Yes 十月圍城 [16]
2011 Mr. and Mrs. Incredible No No Yes 神奇俠侶
Dragon Yes No Yes 武俠 [17]
2012 The Guillotines No No Yes 血滴子
2013 American Dreams in China Yes No Yes 中國合伙人 [18]
2014 Dearest Yes No No 親愛的 [19]
The Truth About Beauty No No Yes 整容日记
I Reciprocate Your Feelings No No Yes 親愛的
2016 Soul Mate No No Yes 七月與安生
2017 This Is Not What I Expected No No Yes 喜歡·你
2018 Last Letter No No Yes 你好,之華
2020 Leap Yes No No 奪冠
2021 Coffee or Tea No No Yes 一點就到家
2023 Tale of the Night No No Yes 长沙夜生活
TBA Li Na: My Life Yes No Yes 獨自·上場 [20]
She Has No Name Yes No No 醬園弄 [21]

References edit

  1. ^ "陈可辛父亲陈铜民去世 吴君如携女赴泰奔丧". Lianhe Zaobao (in Simplified Chinese). 18 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  2. ^ "陈可辛父陈铜民逝世 曾任邵氏兄弟宣传主任 泰国华侨与金庸为旧同事". Sing Tao Daily (in Chinese). 17 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Elley, Derek (14 January 1998). "Peter Chan". Variety. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  4. ^ Kong, Rithdee (6 January 2013). "Peter Chan - Balancing on the cutting edge". Bangkok Post. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  5. ^ Tissandier, Francois (2003). "A Conversation with Peter Chan". Cinemasie. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  6. ^ Koesnikov-Jessop, Sonia (12 January 2006). "Play it again, but with music and in Chinese". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2006.
  7. ^ Landler, Mark (13 August 2000). "FILM; Back to Hong Kong, Where the Action Is". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  8. ^ Brennan, Judith I. (13 December 1998). "He's Not Afraid of a Little Pressure". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  9. ^ Pao, Jin Long (2002). "The Pan-Asian Co-Production Sphere: Interview with Director Peter Chan". Harvard Asia Quarterly. Archived from the original on 1 November 2007.
  10. ^ Napolitano, Dean (21 March 2012). "For Peter Chan, Story Trumps Style". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  11. ^ Frater, Patrick (4 October 2022). "Donnie Yen, Zhang Ziyi on Board as Peter Chan Launches Changin' Pictures, Filmmaker-Led Asian TV Producer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  12. ^ Shackleton, Liz (4 October 2022). "Donnie Yen, Zhang Ziyi Among Talent On Debut Slate Of Peter Chan's Changin' Pictures". Deadline. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Peter Chan: "Sandra and I will not be getting married" - Yahoo! Singapore News". Archived from the original on 30 October 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2009.
  14. ^ Eagan, Daniel (16 November 2021). "Comrades, Almost a Love Story at 25: director on the film and its stars". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  15. ^ Wong, Silvia (14 August 2006). "Perhaps Love wins big at Golden Bauhinia Awards". Screen International. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  16. ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (13 February 2010). "We Distribution closes deals on Bodyguards And Assassins". Screen International. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  17. ^ Chang, Justin (14 May 2011). "Wu xia". Variety. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  18. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (14 June 2013). "American Dreams in China hits big". Screen International. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  19. ^ Frater, Patrick (5 October 2014). "BUSAN: Peter Chan Feted by Festival". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  20. ^ "李娜个人电影今年开机 女主已练习一年网球". Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  21. ^ Frater, Patrick (11 March 2024). "Zhang Ziyi, Lei Jiayin and Jackson Yee Star in Peter Chan's 'She Has No Name' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  • Elley, Derek (14 January 1998), 1998 10 to Watch, [Variety], retrieved 21 January 2006.

External links edit

  • Peter Chan at IMDb
  • We Pictures
  • Applause Pictures
  • Long interviews on Perhaps Love, The Warlords and more