Benny Chan (filmmaker)
Benny Chan | ||
---|---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin Chén Mùshèng | | |
Yue: Cantonese | ||
Jyutping | Can4 Meok6 Sing3 |
Benny Chan Muk-sing (
Chan was nominated for
Life and career
Born and raised in Kowloon, Benny Chan first accepted a job in 1981 at Rediffusion Television working in continuity.[6] The following year, he joined TVB, becoming a production assistant to Johnnie To.[7][8] By 1985, Chan had worked his way up to being a television director, co-directing television series like The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain (1985).[8] In addition to directing most of the episodes of The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain, he also wrote the scripts for all 40 episodes.[9] Chan had gained experience as an executive director for a couple of films between 1987 and 1988, and had also directed and produced a few television series for Asia Television in 1989.[6]
Chan's debut as a film director began with A Moment of Romance (1990), which was produced by To.[6][10] During the 1990s, he directed films like Big Bullet (1996), Who Am I? (1998), and Gen-X Cops (1999). For his work on Big Bullet, which he co-wrote, directed, and produced,[11] Chan was nominated for Best Director at the 1997 Hong Kong Film Awards.[6] The film also won awards for Best Film Editing at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and the 1996 Golden Horse Film Festival.[7][12] He also continued to work in television, directing episodes of the 1995 adaptation of Fist of Fury starring Donnie Yen.[7][6]
Working in exclusively the film industry since 1998's Who Am I?,[6] Chan continued to work on various projects. Since Who Am I?, he continued to direct more of Jackie Chan's movies, such as New Police Story (2004), Rob-B-Hood (2006), and Shaolin (2011).[7] He also directed Heroic Duo (2003), Divergence (2005), Connected (2008), and The White Storm (2013).[6][8] Prior to his death, Chan was working on Raging Fire, which he gave to a colleague to complete post-production work after his cancer diagnosis.[11]
Illness and death
In 2019, Chan was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer after feeling unwell while working on Raging Fire.[11][8] During the last few months of his life, he was hospitalized at Prince of Wales Hospital.[6]
On 23 August 2020, Chan died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.[13]
Filmography
Feature film
Year | Film | Credits | Note(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Screenwriter | Producer | |||
1987 | Goodbye Darling | No | No | Executive | — |
1988 | Let's Rage the Gangland | Yes | No | No | Directorial debut |
Fatal Love | No | No | Executive | — | |
1990 | A Moment of Romance | Yes | No | No | — |
1991 | Son on the Run | Yes | No | No | — |
1992 | What a Hero! | Yes | No | No | — |
1993 | The Magic Crane | Yes | No | No | — |
A Moment of Romance II | Yes | No | No | — | |
1994 | Wounded Tracks | Yes | No | No | — |
1995 | Happy Hour | Yes | No | No | Cameo Produced by Peter Ho-sun Chan
|
Man Wanted | Yes | No | Yes | — | |
1996 | Big Bullet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
They Don't Care About Us | No | No | Yes | — | |
1998 | Who Am I? | Yes | No | No | — |
1999 | Gen-X Cops | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
2000 | Gen-Y Cops | Yes | No | Yes | Hong Kong-United States co-production |
2001 | Final Romance | No | No | Yes | — |
2002 | If U Care... | No | No | Yes | — |
2003 | Heroic Duo | Yes | No | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director |
2004 | New Police Story | Yes | No | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
2005 | Divergence | Yes | No | Yes | — |
2006 | Rob-B-Hood | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
2007 | Invisible Target | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
2008 | Connected | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director |
2010 | City Under Siege | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also as an editor |
2011 | Shaolin | Yes | No | Yes | — |
2013 | The White Storm | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
2015 | Little Big Master | No | No | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
2016 | Call of Heroes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
2017 | Meow | Yes | No | Yes | — |
2021 | Raging Fire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Posthumous release Won – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Won – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
— | The Trier of Fact | No | No | Yes | Credited as the producer in the pre-production stage |
Television film
- Fist of Fury 精武門 (1995) – TV series, as a director
Awards and nominations
Year | Work | Awards | Category | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | Big Bullet | 16th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
Best Film | Nominated | |||
2004 | Heroic Duo | 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
2005 | New Police Story | 24th Hong Kong Film Awards | Nominated | |
Best Film | Nominated | |||
25th Golden Rooster Awards | Nominated | |||
28th Hundred Flowers Awards | Nominated | |||
2009 | Connected | 28th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
2014 | The White Storm | 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards | Nominated | |
Best Film | Nominated | |||
2016 | Little Big Master | 35th Hong Kong Film Awards | Nominated | |
2021 | Raging Fire | 13th Macau International Film Festival
|
Best Director | Won |
Best Film | Nominated | |||
28th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
|
Best Director | Won | ||
Film of Merit | Won | |||
Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild Awards | Best Film | Won | ||
Best Director | Nominated | |||
Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild Awards | Best Recommended Screenplay | Won | ||
2022 | 40th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Director | Won | |
Best Film | Won |
References
- ^ "陳木勝 CHAN Muk Shing Benny" (in Chinese). hkfilmdirectors.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- hk.appledaily.com (in Traditional Chinese). 23 August 2020. Archived from the originalon 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ "Benny Chan". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015.
- ^ Ng Kang-chung (17 July 2022). "Late director Benny Chan feted as Hong Kong Film Awards return to full glory". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ "Hong Kong Film Awards List of The 40th Hong Kong Film Awards". Hong Kong Film Awards. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lee, Edmund (24 August 2020). "Benny Chan, one of the great action film directors". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d Cheang, Michael (24 August 2020). "HK director Benny Chan dead at 58, best known for Jackie Chan's 'New Police Story'". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d Yan, Lim Ruey (24 August 2020). "New Police Story director Benny Chan dies at 58". The Straits Times. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- ^ Lee, Edmund (24 August 2020). "Remembering Benny Chan: action director's top five films". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ a b c "New Police Story director Benny Chan Muk-sing dies at 58". sg.news.yahoo.com. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival". www.goldenhorse.org.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "Hong Kong director Benny Chan of New Police Story fame dies at 58". CNA Lifestyle. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
External links
- Benny Chan at IMDb
- HK Cinemagic entry