Ching Siu-tung (Chinese: 程小東, born October 31st, 1953),
also known as Tony Ching, is a Hong Kong action choreographer, actor, film director and producer, who has directed over 20 films, including the critically acclaimed supernatural fantasy ''
A Chinese Ghost Story'' (1987). He produced the expensive music video for "
L'Âme-Stram-Gram
"L'Âme-stram-gram" is a 1999 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the lead single from her fifth studio album ''Innamoramento'' and was released on 9 March 1999. The lyrics were written by Farmer and the music was com ...
" by the French singer
Mylène Farmer
Mylène Jeanne Gautier (; born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer (), is a Canadian-born French singer, songwriter, occasional actress, writer, and entrepreneur. Having sold more than 30 million records in France, she is ...
in the style of ''A Chinese Ghost Story'' at a cost of €1 million. He studied in the Eastern Drama Academy and trained in Northern Style Kung Fu for 7 years.
Career
Ching began as an actor and martial arts instructor working in
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Ko ...
in the 1960s and 1970s (his father,
Ching Gong, was a
Shaw Brothers Studio director, and Ching Siu-tung had been trained in
Peking opera as a child), but he made his directorial debut in 1982 with the ground-breaking
wuxia classic ''
Duel to the Death
''Duel to the Death'' is a 1983 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film starring Norman Chui and Damian Lau. It is the directorial debut of Ching Siu-tung.
Plot
In 16th century, during the Ming dynasty era, every ten years the greatest swordsman from Japan face ...
''.
Ching worked with producer
Tsui Hark on 1987's ''A Chinese Ghost Story'', which became an international sensation, although it was usually Tsui Hark who took most of the plaudits. He continued to work with Tsui Hark, directing sequels to that film in 1990 and 1991, and co-directing all three parts of the ''
Swordsman'' series, starting in 1990. Other directorial highlights included the highly successful ''
Royal Tramp'' films (both 1992) which starred
Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow Sing-chi (, born 22 June 1962), known professionally as Stephen Chow, is a Hong Kong filmmaker, former actor and comedian, known for ''Shaolin Soccer'' and ''Kung Fu Hustle''.
Early life and education
Stephen Chow was born in British ...
and
Brigitte Lin
Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia (; born 3 November 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. She is regarded as an icon of Chinese language cinema for her extensive and varied roles in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong films.
Biography
Lin was born in Chiayi, Taiwan. S ...
.
Ching continued his role as action director / choreographer throughout this period, and has continued to work in that role on high-profile international successes like ''
Shaolin Soccer'' (2001), ''
Hero'' (2002), and ''
House of Flying Daggers'' (2004).
In 2002, Ching was nominated twice for Best Action Choreography at the
Hong Kong Film Awards, and won in 2003 for his efforts on ''Hero''. That same year, he made his
American film debut, directing
Steven Seagal in the
direct-to-video feature ''
Belly of the Beast''. In 2006, he choreographed the action scenes in the Indian superhero film ''
Krrish'', for which he won a
Filmfare Best Action Award and
Zee Cine Award.
In 2008, Ching directed ''
An Empress and the Warriors
''An Empress and the Warriors'' is a 2008 Hong Kong-Chinese historical drama action film directed by Ching Siu-tung and starring Donnie Yen, Kelly Chen, Leon Lai and Kou Zhenhai.
Plot
The film is set in ancient China, probably during the peri ...
'', in which he also served as action choreographer. The film stars
Kelly Chen,
Donnie Yen and
Leon Lai.
Filmography
Director
Action choreographer
Ching Siu-tung at chinesemov.com
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References
External links
*
HK cinemagic entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ching, Siu-Tung
Hong Kong film directors
1953 births
Living people
Hong Kong film producers
Action choreographers
Asian film producers
Horror film directors
People from Anhui