Jun Li (; born 3 August 1991) is a Hong Kong film director and screenwriter. Li made his feature film debut with ''Tracey'' in 2018. He won the

Golden Horse Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Golden Horse Award for Best Adapted Screenplay () is given at the Golden Horse Film Awards 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 ...

at the 58th Golden Horse Awards in November 2021 for his second film ''Drifting''.

Early life

Li was born in London and grew up in Hong Kong. Li originally studied architecture at the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

but later dropped out. He then studied journalism and communications at

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university an ...

. After graduation, he worked as a television reporter. He later quit to obtain his

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

gender studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field ...

at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He then moved back to Hong Kong and worked at the University of Hong Kong as a research assistant.

Career

Li began making short films as a research assistant under Petula Ho at the University of Hong Kong. He and his short film ''Liu Yang He'' (2017) won the Fresh Wave Award and Best Director at the Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival. Li made his feature film debut with ''Tracey'' in 2018 about a married

trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

transitioning in her 50s. Li was brought on later in pre-production, after another director quit the project and actors

Philip Keung Philip Keung Ho-man (; born 26 October 1966) is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. Keung began his acting career as a television actor in 1985 for Asia Television (ATV), and also began appearing in films from 1988. He eventually left ATV in 201 ...

and

River Huang River Huang (; born November 13, 1989) is a Taiwanese actor. He is the first actor signed by the director Yee Chin-yen. At age 18, Huang won the Best Actor award at the Golden Bell Awards for his debut role in ''Dangerous Mind'', making him the ...

have been cast. He was nominated at the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Screenplay (alongside Shu Kei and Erica Li) and

Best New Director ''Best New Director'' was an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle from its first inception in 1989 until discontinuing in 1996. There was no award in 1993. 1980s 1989 *Kenneth Branagh – ''Henry V (1989 film), Henry V'' **Runners-up: St ...

. Li has not received a Hong Kong government subsidy (such as the

First Feature Film Initiative The First Feature Film Initiative (; FFFI) is a scheme of the Hong Kong government, organised by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and supported by the Film Development Council, to nurture talents for th ...

) for all his feature productions. He cited the lack of perceived commercial viability of LGBT films as a barrier to winning such initiatives. His second film ''Drifting'' (2021) is about homelessness and addiction in

Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po is an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei (). It is located in and is the namesake of the Sham Shui P ...

Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...

. It competed at the

International Film Festival Rotterdam The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

Big Screen Competition. The film was nominated for 12 awards at the 58th Golden Horse Awards, making it the most nominated film from that year. He was himself nominated Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay, winning the latter.

Style and influences

Li cites

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty (''Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessne ...

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

Stanley Kwan Stanley Kwan (traditional Chinese: 關錦鵬; simplified Chinese: 关锦鹏); born 9 October 1957) is a Hong Kong film director and producer. Kwan landed a job at TVB after receiving a mass communications degree at Hong Kong Baptist College. ...

, and

Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Hon ...

as his influences.

Personal life

Li is gay.

Filmography

Directing, Writing, Editing, Producing

Acting

Awards and accolades

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Jun Hong Kong film directors Alumni of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Alumni of the University of Cambridge Hong Kong LGBT screenwriters LGBT film directors Hong Kong screenwriters Gay screenwriters 1991 births Living people