Derek Tsang Kwok-cheung (; born 8 November 1979) is a
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
and
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
. The son of actor
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai (; born 14 April 1953) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, and television host, best known for hosting the variety show ''Super Trio series'' on the Hong Kong television network TVB over 18 years. He currently holds ...
, Tsang got his start in the Hong Kong film industry working for director
Peter Chan Ho-Sun
Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962) is a film director and producer.
Early life
Chan was born in British Hong Kong to parents China. He and his family moved to Thailand when he was 12, where he grew up amongst the international Chine ...
after graduating from
University of Toronto Scarborough
The University of Toronto Scarborough, also known as U of T Scarborough or UTSC, is one of the three campuses that make up the tri-campus system of the University of Toronto. Located in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the campus is set upo ...
in 2001. He made his acting debut in ''
Men Suddenly in Black
''Men Suddenly in Black'' () is a 2003 Hong Kong sex comedy parody of Hong Kong triad films directed by Pang Ho-Cheung. The sequel ''Men Suddenly in Black II'' was released in 2006.
Plot
As their wives and girlfriends embark on a trip to Thaila ...
'' (2003) and directorial debut with ''Lover's Discourse'' (2010), sharing the directing credit with Jimmy Wan Chi-man. The duo was nominated for a
Golden Horse Award for Best New Director
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Golden Horse Award for Best New Director ().
Winners and nominees
2010s
2020s
References
External links
Official website
Official website
{{Golden Horse Film Awards
Golden Horse Film A ...
in 2010.
His solo directorial debut
''Soul Mate'' (2016) was critically praised, receiving a
Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
The Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film is an annual Hong Kong industry award presented to the films which is considered the best of the year.
History
The award was established at the 1st Hong Kong Film Awards (1982) and the first winner and t ...
nomination at the
36th Hong Kong Film Awards
The 36th Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony took place at Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 9 April 2017.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ().
References
Extern ...
. His next film ''
Better Days'' (2019) was the
Hong Kong submission for the Academy Awards and received a
Best International Feature Film nomination, becoming the first Hong Kong submission directed by a Hong Kong native to do so.
Early life
Derek Tsang was born to actor
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai (; born 14 April 1953) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, and television host, best known for hosting the variety show ''Super Trio series'' on the Hong Kong television network TVB over 18 years. He currently holds ...
and his second wife Rebecca Chu in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
on 8 November 1979.
Tsang described his upbringing as mostly detached from his father's public limelight.
He said his father had moved out to live on his own when Tsang was a child because he had wanted to keep his personal life separate from the entertainment industry, which allowed Tsang "an ordinary, middle-class upbringing". Tsang lived with his mother, grandmother, and younger brother Mark in
Mei Foo Sun Chuen
Mei Foo Sun Chuen or simply Mei Foo is a large private housing estate in Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Mei Foo Sun Chuen was the first large scale private housing estate in Hong Kong and at the time of completion, the 99-tower complex wa ...
before the family, excluding his father, moved to Canada when Tsang was 11.
Tsang received his bachelor of arts in Sociology at the
University of Toronto Scarborough
The University of Toronto Scarborough, also known as U of T Scarborough or UTSC, is one of the three campuses that make up the tri-campus system of the University of Toronto. Located in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the campus is set upo ...
in 2001.
Career
After graduation, he moved back to Hong Kong, where his father arranged for him to work under director
Peter Chan Ho-Sun
Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962) is a film director and producer.
Early life
Chan was born in British Hong Kong to parents China. He and his family moved to Thailand when he was 12, where he grew up amongst the international Chine ...
. There, he met producer Jojo Hui and director Jimmy Wan Chi-man, both of whom would go on to be Tsang's frequent collaborators.
Despite not pursuing an acting career, Tsang has had a variety of acting roles since the start of his career, which he attributed to other actors not wanting to be
typecast
In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...
into roles with unflattering characteristics. He made his screen debut in ''
Men Suddenly in Black
''Men Suddenly in Black'' () is a 2003 Hong Kong sex comedy parody of Hong Kong triad films directed by Pang Ho-Cheung. The sequel ''Men Suddenly in Black II'' was released in 2006.
Plot
As their wives and girlfriends embark on a trip to Thaila ...
'' (2003), cameoing as the younger version of his father's character. There he met director
Pang Ho-cheung, whom Tsang would later collaborate with on various projects.
Tsang made his solo directorial debut with
''Soul Mate'' (2016).
He was subsequently nominated for Best Director awards at various film award ceremonies, including at the
36th Hong Kong Film Awards
The 36th Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony took place at Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 9 April 2017.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ().
References
Extern ...
and the
53rd Golden Horse Awards
The 53rd Golden Horse Awards (Mandarin:第53屆金馬獎) took place on November 26, 2016, at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan. Organized by the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee, the awards honored the best fi ...
.
His next film,
''Better Days'' (2019), won eight out of 12 categories at the
39th Hong Kong Film Awards
The 39th Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony took place at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in April 2020, but it was moved online due to preventive measures against COVID-19 and it was livestreamed on May 6, 2020.
Winners and nominees
Winn ...
, including Best Film and Best Director. The film was subsequently chosen as the official entry for Hong Kong for Best International Feature Film at the
93rd Academy Awards
The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...
. It was shortlisted but lost to Denmark's
''Another Round''.
He was the first native Hong Kong director in the category.
Filmmaking
Tsang said his influences are primarily derived from
art-house cinema
An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...
, with early influences from director
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...
and the
French New Wave
French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...
, as opposed to his father Eric Tsang's works, which consisted of mostly of mainstream comedies.
He credits his half sister
Bowie Tsang
Bowie Tsang Po Yee (; born 21 February 1973) is a Taiwanese television host, singer, actress, and writer. She is also known by her nickname Ah-Po ().
Career
She graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology from National Taiwan University ...
for teaching him about film and literature.
Personal life
Tsang married actress
Venus Wong
Venus Wong Man-yik () is a Hong Kong actress currently contracted to TVB and TVB Music Group.
Biography
Early life
Venus Wong was born in 1992 in Huizhou, Guangdong province and moved to Hong Kong at the age of one with her mother. She attend ...
in 2019. He has expressed a reluctance to cast Wong due to the negative perception of
nepotism
Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...
.
Filmography
Directing
* ''Lover's Discourse'' (2010)
*
''Lacuna'' (2012)
*
''Soul Mate'' (2016)
*
''Better Days'' (2019)
Acting
* ''The Strangled Truth'' (2019)
* ''Missbehavior'' (2019)
* ''
The Brink'' (2017)
* ''
Love Off the Cuff
''Love Off the Cuff'' () is a 2017 Hong Kong-Chinese romantic comedy film directed by Pang Ho-cheung and starring Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue. Shot in Hong Kong and Taipei, the film is the sequel to the 2012 film ''Love in the Buff'' and the third ...
'' (2017)
* ''
S Storm'' (2016)
* ''Robbery'' (2016)
* ''
From Vegas to Macau III
''From Vegas to Macau III'' (賭城風雲III) is a 2016 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Andrew Lau and Wong Jing and starring Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Nick Cheung and Li Yuchun, with special appearances by Jacky Cheung and Carina Lau. Th ...
'' (2016)
* ''
From Vegas to Macau II
''From Vegas to Macau II'' () is a 2015 3D Hong Kong-Chinese action comedy film directed and written by Wong Jing and starring Chow Yun-fat, Nick Cheung, Carina Lau, Shawn Yue, Angela Wang and Michelle Hu. The film is the sequel to ''From Vegas t ...
'' (2015)
* ''Zombie Fight Club'' (2014)
* ''
Z Storm
''Z Storm'' () is a 2014 Hong Kong crime film, crime thriller film directed by David Lam (film director), David Lam, and starring Louis Koo, Gordon Lam and Dada Chan. The plot revolves around Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption ...
'' (2014)
* ''
Naked Ambition 2
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing.
The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to ...
'' (2014)
* ''
Golden Chicken 3
''Golden Chicken 3'' also known as ''Golden Chickensss'' () is a 2014 Hong Kong comedy film directed by Matt Chow and starring Sandra Ng.
Cast
* Sandra Ng as Kam, a prostitute
* Andy Lau as Himself (billed as "Suddenly Starring")
* Donnie Yen ...
'' (2014)
* ''Streets of Macao'' (2014)
* ''
SDU: Sex Duties Unit'' (2013)
* ''My Sassy Hubby'' (2012)
* ''Triad'' (2012)
* ''
Love in the Buff
''Love in the Buff'' () is a 2012 Hong Kong romantic comedy film directed by Pang Ho-cheung and starring Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue. It is the sequel to the 2010 film ''Love in a Puff (film)''.
Principal photography began in mid-July 2011 at ...
'' (2012)
* ''
The Thieves
''The Thieves'' () is a 2012 South Korean heist action comedy film directed by Choi Dong-hoon with an ensemble cast.
With over 12.9 million ticket sales, the action comedy is the ninth highest-grossing film in Korean film history.
Plot
Yen ...
'' (2012)
* ''
Girl$
''Girl$'' () is a 2010 Hong Kong film directed by Kenneth Bi, it deals with teenagers and young women drawn into Enjo kōsai, compensated dating in Hong Kong. The Chinese term 囡囡 (Jyutping: naam4 naam4) is a traditional affectionate term fo ...
'' (2010)
* ''
Once a Gangster
''Once a Gangster'' ( is a 2010 Hong Kong crime comedy film directed by Felix Chong.
Cast
* Ekin Cheng as Sparrow
* Jordan Chan as Roast Pork
* Alex Fong as Kerosene
* Michelle Ye as Nancy
* Candice Yu as Lady Pearl
* Wilfred Lau as Yan
...
'' (2010)
* ''Dream Home'' (2010)
* ''Ex'' (2010) - Sol
* ''Claustrophobia'' (2008) - John
* ''Ocean Flame'' (2008)
* ''Scare 2 Die'' (2008)
* ''
Run Papa Run
''Run Papa Run'' is a 2008 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed and co-written by Sylvia Chang, and based on a novel by Benny Li. The film stars Louis Koo as Tiger Lee, a Triad boss who struggles to hide his criminal lifestyle when he is faced ...
'' (2008) - Chicken
* ''Tactical Unit: No Way Out'' (2008)
* ''Simply Actors'' (2007) - Window cleaner vendor
* ''Single Blog'' (2007) - Woody
* ''
Dragon Boys
''Dragon Boys'' () is a CBC Television (CBC) miniseries starring Eric Tsang, Byron Mann, Lawrence Chou, Tzi Ma, Lauren Lee Smith, Steph Song, Darryl Quon, Christina Ma, Jean Yoon, Simon Wong and Chang Tseng. It aired on CBC on January 7 and 8 of ...
' (2007) - Fox Boy (Canadian TV Miniseries)
* ''My Name Is Fame'' (2006)
* ''On the Edge'' (2006) - Mini B
* ''Midnight Running'' (2006) - Peter
* ''The Third Eye'' (2006) - Gum
* ''Without Words'' (2006) - Michael
* ''Isabella'' (2006) - Fai
* ''Cocktail'' (2006) - Kuen
* ''
A.V.'' (2005) - Band-Aid
* ''It Had to Be You!'' (2005)
* ''
The Eye 2
''The Eye 2'' is a 2004 Hong Kong supernatural horror film directed and edited by Danny and Oxide Pang. It is a standalone sequel to '' The Eye'' (2002). Produced by Mediacorp Raintree Pictures and Applause, the film was released in Hong Kong on ...
'' (2004) - Joey's co-worker
* ''The Park'' (2003) (as Derek Tsang) - Dan
* ''
Men Suddenly in Black
''Men Suddenly in Black'' () is a 2003 Hong Kong sex comedy parody of Hong Kong triad films directed by Pang Ho-Cheung. The sequel ''Men Suddenly in Black II'' was released in 2006.
Plot
As their wives and girlfriends embark on a trip to Thaila ...
'' (2003) - Young Tin
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
Derek Tsang at hkmdb.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsang, Derek
1979 births
Living people
Hong Kong male film actors
Hong Kong film directors
Hong Kong screenwriters
People from Wuhua
Hong Kong people of Hakka descent
Male actors from Meizhou
Film directors from Guangdong
Writers from Meizhou
Chinese male film actors
Chinese film directors
University of Toronto alumni
Screenwriters from Guangdong