Doze Niu (, also known as Niu Chen-zer;
born June 22, 1966) is a
Taiwanese
Taiwanese may refer to:
* Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien
* Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa)
* Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan
* Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan
* Taiwanese people, ...
actor, film director, show host, screenwriter, and producer. As a film director, he is best known for the
Taiwanese film
The cinema of Taiwan ( zh, t=臺灣電影 or ) is deeply rooted in the island's unique history. Since its introduction to Taiwan in 1901 under Japanese rule, cinema has developed in Taiwan under ROC rule through several distinct stages. It has ...
''
Monga''.
Early life
Niu was born in Taipei, Taiwan on June 22, 1966. He grew up in the
military dependents' village
A military dependents' village () is a community in Taiwan built in the late 1940s and the 1950s whose original purpose was to serve as provisional housing for soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines of the Republic of China Armed Forces, along ...
in
Gongguan, Taipei
Gongguan () is a commercial district straddling the Zhongzheng and Daan Districts of Taipei, Taiwan. It is a popular shopping and leisure area with a night market and it is also the location of the Gongguan Station of the Taipei Metro. Ta ...
. His father's family is from the Manchu
Niohuru
The Niohuru (Manchu: ; in Manchu) were a prominent Manchu clan during the Qing dynasty. The clan had inhabited the Changbai Mountains since as early as the Liao dynasty. The clan was well known during the Qing dynasty for producing a variety of ...
clan and his mother's family has military background. His grandfather was a general, so he would often accompany him to visit
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...
. When he was 12, his father was diagnosed with
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...
and became bed-ridden for 25 years until his death.
His love for
Hong Kong cinema
The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of po ...
may have influenced his later works.
Career
Niu started his acting at the age of 9. He was 17 when he was nominated for his first
Golden Horse Award
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
in 1983 for ''
Growing Up''.
These early successes did not help his career as he grew older. At the age of 19, Niu could not find any roles in films, so he started hanging out with his so-called "corner brothers" and improved his
Taiwanese
Taiwanese may refer to:
* Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien
* Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa)
* Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan
* Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan
* Taiwanese people, ...
tremendously.
By speaking fluent
Taiwanese
Taiwanese may refer to:
* Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien
* Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa)
* Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan
* Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan
* Taiwanese people, ...
, he was able to get along with the Taiwanese people even though his family originated from
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
.
Niu is the founder of the production company Red Bean Production Co, which was created in August 2002.
He participated in all three movies that he directed but vowed to not appear in any more movies so that he can focus entirely on directing.
As of 2018, Niu is shooting his new film ''Pao Ma''.
Controversies
Carrier intrusion
In June 2013, he brought Chinese cinematographer
Cao Yu
Cao Yu (, September 24, 1910 — December 13, 1996) was a Chinese playwright, often regarded as one of China's most important of the 20th century. His best-known works are ''Thunderstorm'' (1933), ''Sunrise'' (1936) and ''Peking Man'' (1940). ...
into the Navy base in
Zhuoying under a false name. The incident was revealed by their photo together on an aircraft carrier. These actions violated certain laws of the
Ministry of National Defense
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
. The Navy command investigated it as possible intrusion, which can carry a five-year sentence. On July 16, 2013, Niu admitted his wrongdoing in the court in
Kaoshiong and paid NT$200,000 for bail. He told the media that he didn't know he broke the law.
Sexual assault allegations
On 5 December 2018, a female crew member on the set of ''Pao Ma'' filed a police report accusing Niu of sexually assaulting her the previous month.
He was subsequently questioned by police officers of the Da'an Precinct and the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, and was indicted in January 2019. Niu was formally charged with rape in February 2019. An appeal to the Taiwan High Court was heard in April 2020, and he was sentenced to four years imprisonment. The High Court ruling was upheld as the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
rejected Niu's appeal in September 2021.
Features
''What on Earth Have I Done Wrong?!''
''
What on Earth Have I Done Wrong'' is the first dramatic film that Niu directed. He was also the main actor. Although the movie is not an autobiography, there are a lot of resemblances between him and the character. The character in the movie is also a director attempting to gather enough money to produce a mockumentory film. The film was initially about the politics in Taiwan; however, Niu took a completely different turn with the film and focused the film on the character. A lot of media commented that this film is a half-biography or a documentary. The film was nominated for the best picture award at the
Golden Horse Film Festival
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
and it won the
FIPRESCI Prize
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
.
''Monga''
''
Monga'' is a gangster movie that takes place in the
Wanhua District
Wanhua District, known in Taiwanese Hokkien as Báng-kah khu and historically as "Monga" or "Monka", is a district in Taipei, Taiwan. It is Taipei's oldest district. The district is home to historic buildings such as the Bangka Lungshan Temple, ...
of
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
and has a cast of mainly young actors like
Mark Chao
Mark Chao (, born 25 September 1984) is a Taiwanese Canadians, Taiwanese-Canadian actor and model. He made his television debut in the television series ''Black & White (TV series), Black & White'' (2009), for which he won the Golden Bell Award fo ...
and
Ethan Juan
Ethan Juan (, born 8 November 1982) is a Taiwanese actor and model. He rose to prominence with the television series '' Fated to Love You'' (2008). Juan won the Best Actor award at the 47th Golden Horse Awards for his role in '' Monga'' in 201 ...
. Niu also participated in the movie as the head of the gang from the Chinese mainland. The movie was a box office success, grossing more than US$1.8 million in Taiwan.
The film was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
83rd Academy Awards
The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2010 in the United States and took place on February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beg ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Niu directed music videos for Richie Ren Xian-QI's "wu ni jiu wu wo" and Jasmine Leong's "di san zhe".
Awards and nominations
*''
Growing Up'' (小畢的故事) 1983 Golden Horse Film Festival best supporting actor nomination
*1984 China Art Film Performance Award Medal
*''After the game'' (遊戲之後) 1987 Golden Bell Award best actor nomination
*''Awakening'' (甦醒) 1989 Golden Bell Award best actor nomination
*''Banana Paradise'' (香蕉天堂) 1989 Golden Horse Film Festival best actor nomination
*''Fei Tian'' (飛天) 1996 Golden Horse Film Festival best supporting actor nomination
*''Xiaoguang'' (曉光) 2000 Golden Bell Award best actor nomination
*''What on Earth have I done wrong?!'' (情非得已之生存之道) 2007 Golden Horse Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize
*''Wayward Kenting'' (我在墾丁*天氣晴) 2008 Golden Bell Award drama director award nomination
See also
*
Manchu people in Taiwan
The Manchu people in Taiwan constitute a small minority of the population of Taiwan.
Migration history
The Manchu people living in Taiwan arrived primarily in two waves of migration. The first wave was during the Qing dynasty era, in which the ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niu, Doze
1966 births
Living people
20th-century Taiwanese male actors
21st-century Taiwanese male actors
Film directors from Taipei
Male actors from Taipei
Taiwanese male film actors
Taiwanese male television actors
Taiwanese people of Manchu descent
Taiwanese rapists
Manchu male actors