Fruit Chan
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Fruit Chan Gor (; born 15 April 1959) is a
Hong Kong Second Wave The Hong Kong New Wave is a film movement in Chinese-language Hong Kong cinema that emerged in the late 1970s and lasted into the early 2000s. Origins of the movement The Hong Kong New Wave started in 1979 with the release of numerous notable fil ...
filmmaker who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of
Hong Kong people Hongkongers (), also known as Hong Kongers, Hong Kongese, Hongkongese, Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people, typically refers to residents of the territory of Hong Kong; although may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the ...
. He is well known for using amateur actors (such as Sam Lee in '' Made in Hong Kong'', Wong Yau-Nam in ''
Hollywood Hong Kong ''Hollywood Hong Kong'' (香港有個荷里活, Heung gong yau gok hor lei wood) is a 2001 Hong Kong film directed by Fruit Chan, with screenplay written by Kei To Lam. It is the second instalment of his "prostitution trilogy" which Chan direc ...
'') in his films. He became a household name after the success of the 1997 film '' Made in Hong Kong'', which earned many local and international awards.


Early life

Chan was born in
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
, China. Growing up, he watched a lot of films from
Communist countries A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
. He and his family moved to Hong Kong in July 1971. His family was poor and Chan worked in an electronics factory while finishing Forms 1 to 3 at
night school A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates. Italy The Scuola ...
. He later got a job as a
projectionist A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators". Historical background N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate. Early ...
in
Jordan, Hong Kong Jordan () is an area in Hong Kong, located on Kowloon Peninsula. It is named after a road of the same name in the district. The area is bordered by King's Park to the east, Tsim Sha Tsui to the south, Ferry Point to the west, and Yau Ma Tei ...
, where he developed an interest in
international cinema World cinema is a term in film theory that refers to films made outside of the American motion picture industry, particularly those in opposition to the aesthetics and values of commercial American cinema.Nagib, Lúcia. "Towards a positive d ...
. He later enrolled in a one-year film studies course at the Film Culture Society, garnering admission by lying about his secondary education experience and working odd jobs to pay for tuition.


Career

He continued his interest in film later on at the Hong Kong Film Culture Centre, a small film club, where he studied script writing and directing. In 1982, after only one year of working at the Hong Kong Film Culture Centre he started his career in the film industry. He began his career as an assistant director to David Lai Dai-Wai in the film ''Mid-Night Girls''. He later worked as an assistant director to mainstream directors
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
,
Kirk Wong Kirk Wong (黃志強; born March 28, 1949) is a Hong Kong film director and actor. Wong is best known for action films '' Crime Story'' and ''The Big Hit''. Wong's other films like '' Health Warning'', '' Organized Crime & Triad Bureau'', and '' ...
,
Ronny Yu Ronny is a given name, sometimes a short form (hypocorism) of Ryan. It may refer to: * Ronny (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer Ronny Heberson Furtado de Araújo * Ronny (footballer, born 1991), Brazilian footballer Ronieri da Silva P ...
, and
Shu Kei Shu Kei () or Kenneth Ip is a Hong Kong film director and screenwriter active during the 1980s and 1990s. A graduate of The University of Hong Kong, he is best known for the 1990 film ''Sunless Days'' (沒有太陽的日子), a documentary exp ...
. His break came in 1991 when a film he was working with stopped its production. Chan took this as an opportunity; he used the same studio to direct ''Finale in Blood'' starring Hong Kong film star
Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...
. However, the outcome of the first of his own films was highly praised by the critics rather than the public. In 1994 he collected a total of 500,000 HKD and film-materials left over by other productions to begin directing his award winning '' Made in Hong Kong''. After ''Made in Hong Kong'' came out he was thought of as the hope for Hong Kong cinema by fellow Hong Kong filmmakers for challenging the stable model of Hong Kong filmmaking. He had become the first filmmaker to, independently of the big studios, challenge the genre of Hong Kong films and make realistic films about the political and social situations going on in Hong Kong at the time. The film was the first part to a trilogy that included ''
The Longest Summer ''The Longest Summer'' () is Hong Kong independent director Fruit Chan's second feature in the "1997 trilogy", first released in 1998. The first film in the trilogy is '' Made in Hong Kong''. The movie details the problem faced by a group of d ...
'' and ''Little Cheung''. In 2002, Chan was a member of the jury at the 24th Moscow International Film Festival. Chan was selected to head the jury for the 2015
Taipei Film Festival The Taipei Film Festival (TFF; ) is a film festival promoted by the city of Taipei, Taiwan, through the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Taipei City Government. It was first held in 1998, from September 28 to October 5. Currently chaired by ...
.


Style and influences

Chan lists Japanese directors, particularly from the 1960s such as
Nagisa Ōshima was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. One of the foremost directors within the Japanese New Wave, his films include ''In the Realm of the Senses'' (1976), a sexually explicit film set in 1930s Japan, and ''Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence' ...
, as his primary influences. Ōshima specifically was the influence for Chan's film ''Made in Hong Kong'' (1997). Chan's films often focus on the "raw, often bleak, view of life of Hong Kong's working class."


Filmography


As director

* ''Finale in Blood'' (大鬧廣昌隆) (1993) * ''The 1997 Trilogy'' (九七三部曲) (referring to the year of Hong Kong's
handover In cellular telecommunications, handover, or handoff, is the process of transferring an ongoing call or data session from one channel connected to the core network to another channel. In satellite communications it is the process of transfe ...
to the People's Republic of China) ** '' Made in Hong Kong'' (香港製造) (1997) ** ''
The Longest Summer ''The Longest Summer'' () is Hong Kong independent director Fruit Chan's second feature in the "1997 trilogy", first released in 1998. The first film in the trilogy is '' Made in Hong Kong''. The movie details the problem faced by a group of d ...
'' (去年煙花特別多) (1998) ** ''Little Cheung'' (細路祥) (1999) * ''The Prostitute Trilogy'' (妓女三部曲) ** ''
Durian Durian ''Durian Durian'' () is a 2000 Hong Kong film directed by Fruit Chan. The film portrays the experiences of a young girl, Fan ( Mak Wai-Fan), and her sex worker neighbour, Yan (Qin Hailu), in Hong Kong. Plot Yan is a prostitute from the mainland ...
'' (榴槤飄飄) (2000) ** ''
Hollywood Hong Kong ''Hollywood Hong Kong'' (香港有個荷里活, Heung gong yau gok hor lei wood) is a 2001 Hong Kong film directed by Fruit Chan, with screenplay written by Kei To Lam. It is the second instalment of his "prostitution trilogy" which Chan direc ...
'' (香港有個荷里活) (2001) ** ''
Three Husbands ''Three Husbands'' is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Irving Reis and starring Eve Arden, Ruth Warrick, and Emlyn Williams. Plot When a recently deceased playboy, Max, gets to heaven, he is granted a wish. His request: to watch his ...
'' (三夫) (2018) * ''
Public Toilet A public toilet, restroom, public bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils ...
'' (人民公廁) (2002) * '' Three... Extremes'' (三更2) (2004) – segment "Dumplings" * ''
Dumplings Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, ...
'' (餃子) (2004) * '' Chengdu, I Love You'' (2009) – segment "1976" * ''
Don't Look Up ''Don't Look Up'' is a 2021 American apocalyptic political satire black comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Adam McKay from a story he co-wrote with David Sirota. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, ...
'' (2009), a remake of the 1996 Japanese horror film ''
Don't Look Up ''Don't Look Up'' is a 2021 American apocalyptic political satire black comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Adam McKay from a story he co-wrote with David Sirota. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, ...
'' * ''
Tales from the Dark 1 ''Tales from the Dark 1'' (李碧華鬼魅系列: 迷離夜) is a 2013 Hong Kong portmanteau horror film directed by Simon Yam, Lee Chi-ngai, and Fruit Chan. The film is split into three segments, each based on a short story by Lilian Lee. The ...
'' (2013) – segment ''Jing Zhe'' * ''
The Midnight After ''The Midnight After'' () is a 2014 Hong Kong satirical horror comedy film directed by Fruit Chan and starring Wong You-nam, Janice Man, Simon Yam, Kara Hui, Lam Suet, Chui Tien-you, Cheuk Wan-chi, Lee Sheung-ching, Sam Lee and Jan Curiou ...
'' (2014) * ''
Kill Time Idleness is a lack of motion or energy. In describing a person, idle means the act of nothing or no work (for example: "John Smith is an idle person"). A person who spends his or her days doing nothing could be said to be "idly passing his or her ...
'' (2016) * ''The Abortionist'' (墮胎師) (2019) * ''Coffin Homes'' (2021)


As scriptwriter

* '' Bugis Street'' (1995) * ''The 1997 Trilogy'' 九七三部曲 ** ''Little Cheung'' 細路祥 (1999) ** ''The Longest Summer'' 去年煙花特別多 (1998) ** ''Made in Hong Kong'' 香港製造 (1997) * ''The Prostitute Trilogy'' 妓女三部曲 ** ''Hollywood Hong Kong'' 香港有個荷里活 (2001) ** ''Durian Durian'' 榴槤飄飄 (2000) * ''Public Toilet'' 人民公廁 (2002)


As producer

* ''Public Toilet'' 人民公廁 (2002) * '' Colour Blossoms'' 桃色 (2004) * ''
A-1 Headline ''A-1'' (), known internationally as ''A-1 Headline'', is a 2004 Hong Kong thriller film written and directed by Gordon Chan and Rico Chung and starring Anthony Wong, Angelica Lee, Edison Chen, with a special appearance by Tony Leung Ka-fai. ...
'' (2004) * ''
Bliss BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C b ...
'' (2006) * ''
Still Human ''Still Human'' () is a 2018 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed and written by in her feature film directorial debut. It stars veteran actor Anthony Wong and Crisel Consunji in her film debut. The film chronicles the relationship between a ...
'' 淪落人 (2019)


As actor

* ''
Mrs K ''Mrs K'' is a 2016 Malaysian-Hong Kong crime action film directed by Ho Yuhang. It stars Kara Wai, Simon Yam, Wu Bai, Ruby Yap and Siow Li Xuan. This movie was only released in Moscow, Russia under the title: Миссис Кей (''missis kei ...
'' (2016)


References


External links

* *
HK cinemagic entry



Fruit Chan : the Career InterviewInterview with
Pang Ho-cheung {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Fruit 1959 births Living people Hong Kong film directors Hong Kong screenwriters Hong Kong film producers Horror film directors Asian film producers