Wilson Yip Wai-Shun (; born 1964) 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 ...

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 ...

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. His films include ''

Bio Zombie ''Bio Zombie'' () is a 1998 Hong Kong zombie comedy film, starring Jordan Chan. It spoofs George A. Romero's '' Dawn of the Dead'' and shows many similarities to Peter Jackson's ''Braindead''. Plot Woody Invincible and Crazy Bee are two youn ...

'', '' The White Dragon'', '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', ''

Dragon Tiger Gate ''Dragon Tiger Gate'' is a 2006 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Wilson Yip and featuring fight choreography by Donnie Yen, who also stars in the film. The film is based on the manhua ''Oriental Heroes'', which bears the same Chines ...

'', ''

Flash Point The flash point of a material is the "lowest liquid temperature at which, under certain standardized conditions, a liquid gives off vapours in a quantity such as to be capable of forming an ignitable vapour/air mixture". (EN 60079-10-1) The fl ...

'' and the ''Ip Man'' series.

Early career

A film buff at an early age, Yip went to the

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

whenever he could and often wrote reviews on the backs of ticket stubs. He entered the movie business in the 1980s, starting out as a "

gofer A gofer, go-fer or gopher is an employee who specializes in the delivery of special items to their superior(s). Examples of these special items include a cup of coffee, a tool, a tailored suit, or a car. Outside of the business world, the term ...

" and working his way up to

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

. His directorial debut was ''01.00 AM'', a three-segment horror compendium. He directed two of three parts, one with

Veronica Yip Veronica Yip Yuk Hing (; born February 12, 1967) is a Hong Kong-born American actress and singer who is probably most well known for her roles in Category III films. Career Film Veronica Yip was born in Portuguese Macau and started her car ...

as a nurse who sees dead pop stars, and

Anita Yuen Anita Yuen Wing Yee (born 4 September 1971) is a Hong Kong film and television actress. Pageant career At the age of 18, Yuen entered the Miss Hong Kong 1990 pageant. She was a heavy favorite to win the crown from the semifinal to final. During t ...

interviewing a demon. His next effort, ''Daze Reaper'', was a Category III exploitation film, based on a true-crime story about a prison guard who turns to crime. Next was ''Mongkok Story'', an exploitive story in the vein of ''

Young and Dangerous ''Young and Dangerous'' () is a 1996 Hong Kong crime film about a group of triad members, detailing their adventures and dangers in a Hong Kong Triad society. Directed by the film's cinematographer Andrew Lau, the film features a large ensembl ...

'', and another horror trilogy, ''Midnight Zone'', about

urban myth An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

s. He also turned to comedy with ''Teaching Sucks'', about two Hong Kong teachers played by Anthony Wong and Jan Lam. In 1998 Wilson co-wrote and directed his biggest cult hit at the time, ''

'', which was influenced by '' Dawn of the Dead'' and takes place in a

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

, where a small group of misfits bands together in order to survive.

Turning point

Yip next directed the 1999

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

Bullets Over Summer ''Bullets Over Summer'' is a 1999 Hong Kong action film directed by Wilson Yip and starring Francis Ng and Louis Koo. For their performances in the film, Ng and Law Lan were awarded Best Actor and Best Actress respectively at the 6th Hong Kong ...

'', starring

Francis Ng Francis Ng Chun-yu (; born 21 December 1961) is a Hong Kong actor and director. He is known for his roles in the TVB series ''Triumph in the Skies'' and in films such as ''Young and Dangerous'', '' Once Upon a Time in Triad Society'', '' A ...

and

Louis Koo Louis Koo Tin-lok ( zh, t=古天樂; born 21 October 1970) is a Hong Kong people, Hong Kong actor, singer and film producer. He began his professional career as an actor in local television series, winning TVB's Best Actor award in 1999 and 2001 ...

as two detectives hunting a gang of deadly criminals who have to use a demented elderly woman's (Helena Law Lan) apartment for surveillance. The biggest-budget film of his career up to then, he considers ''Bullets Over Summer'' his "turning point". He shared a best-screenplay award at the 2000

Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards () are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong since 1994. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the mem ...

for the film. In 2000 he was picked by Golden Harvest to direct ''Skyline Cruisers'', a big-budget action film. Yip did not get along with the cast and clashed with the studio's management over creative differences. Other films include the science-fiction-action story ''2002'', and the romantic comedies, ''

Dry Wood Fierce Fire ''Dry Wood Fierce Fire'' is a 2002 Hong Kong romantic comedy film written and directed by Wilson Yip, and starring Louis Koo and Miriam Yeung. The film was released on 19 April 2002. Plot Women's magazine, "Ladies", and Men's magazine, "Gents" ...

'' (with

Miriam Yeung Miriam Yeung (born 3 February 1974) is a Hong Kong actress and Cantopop diva. As of 2020, she has released more than 35 albums and has starred in more than 40 films. In 2012, Yeung won the Award for Best Actress at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards ...

and Louis Koo) and ''Leaving Me, Loving You'' (with

Leon Lai Leon Lai Ming SBS BBS MH (born 11 December 1966), is a Hong Kong actor, film director, businessman and Cantopop singer. He is one of the " Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. He uses his Chinese name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming", whi ...

and

Faye Wong Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; born Xia Lin on 8 August 1969) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong. Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and her debut album '' Shirley Wong'' ( ...

). In 2004, Yip also directed his first

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...

style film, '' The White Dragon'', starring

Cecilia Cheung Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi (in Chinese 張栢芝, born 24 May 1980) is a Hong Kong actress and cantopop singer. Cheung is considered a " Sing girl"—an actress who first received media attention through starring alongside Stephen Chow, and later ...

and

. Yip also acts, mostly doing small roles. They include a pimp in ''The Runaway Pistol'' and a

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

exorcist In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person, ...

the Pang Brothers Danny Pang Phat and Oxide Pang Chun, collectively known as the Pang Brothers, are a filmmaking duo of screenwriters and film directors. The pair are twins, born in Hong Kong in 1965. Among their films is the hit Asian horror film, '' The Eye ...

' '' The Eye''.

Films with Donnie Yen

In 2005, Yip directed his most critically acclaimed film, '' SPL: Sha Po Lang''. A gritty return to the 1980s style of Hong Kong action cinema, ''SPL'' starred

Simon Yam Simon Yam Tat-wah (; born 19 March 1955) is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. He received international acclaim for his performances in international film festival and box office hits such as ''Naked Killer'', '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', ''Election' ...

and

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...

as Hong Kong police officers trying to pin a crime on an unstoppable gangster, portrayed by

Sammo Hung Sammo Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreog ...

. In 2006, Yip re-teamed with Yen for an adaptation of a Hong Kong

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, ''

''. In 2007 Yip released ''

'', another martial-arts crime drama in the same vein as ''SPL''. The film starred Donnie Yen,

, and

Collin Chou Collin Chou (born 11 August 1967), sometimes credited as Ngai Sing, is a Taiwanese actor and martial artist. Personal life Chou attended Pierce Community College in Los Angeles, United States. In addition to his native Mandarin, he also spe ...

. Yen and Yip's latest collaboration as actor and director, ''

Ip Man Ip Man, also known as Yip Man, ( / 叶问; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972) was a Hong Kong-based Cantonese martial artist and a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later became martial art ...

'', is a semi-biographical account of

, the first

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

master (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

: ''

Sifu Shifu () in Mandarin, or sifu in Cantonese, or sai hu in Hokkien, is a title for, and the role of, a skillful person or a master. The character 師/师 means "skilled person" or "teacher," while 傅 means "tutor" and 父 means "father." Though ...

'') to teach the

Chinese martial art Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

Wing Chun Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春 or 咏春, lit. "singing spring"), sometimes spelled Ving Tsun, is a concept-based fighting art, form of Nanquan (martial art), Southern Chinese kung fu and close-quarters system of self-defense. In Mandarin, it is ...

openly. It also featured fight choreography by

. The film was released in December 2008 and immediately shot to number one on its opening week in Hong Kong, earning over HK$2.8 million in three weeks. ''

Ip Man 2 ''Ip Man 2'' (Chinese: 葉問2:宗師傳奇, also known as ''Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster'') is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. A sequel to ...

'', which is produced by Raymond Wong, picks up on Ip Man's life after his migration to Hong Kong where he took on his most famous disciple, Bruce Lee. The film was released 29 April 2010. In 2014, it was announced that Yip and Yen would reunite for a third ''Ip Man'' film, to start filming in early 2015 for release later in the year. The film will be presented in theatres in 3D format for the first time in the franchise. In 2016, Donnie Yen announced that he and Yip would collaborate once again on a fourth ''Ip Man'' film.

Filmography

Director

Screenwriter

* ''

'' (1998) * ''Baau lit ying ging'' (''

'') (1999) * ''Jue lai yip yue leung saan ang'' (''Juliet in Love'') (2000) * ''Gon chaai lit feng'' (''

'') (2001) * ''Dai sing siu si'' (''Leaving Me, Loving You'') (2004) * '' The White Dragon'' (2004) * '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'' (2005)

Artistic director

* ''

'' (2013)

Actor

* ''Wong gok fung wan'' (''Mongkok Story'') (1996) * ''Hui zhuan shou shi'' (''Midnight Zone'') (1997) * ''Huo xing gui ji'' (''Among the Stars'') (2000) * ''Sui jeuk fun ji'' (''United We Stand and Swim'') (2001) * ''

You Shoot, I Shoot ''You Shoot, I Shoot'' (買兇拍人) is a 2001 Hong Kong black comedy film produced, written and directed by Pang Ho-cheung and starring Eric Kot and Cheung Tat-ming. Plot Bart (Eric Kot), a professional contract killer, is requested by his ...

'' (2001) * ''Zouhou qiang'' (''Runaway Pistol'') (2002) * '' Happy Family'' (2002) * ''

Love Undercover ''Love Undercover'' (新紮師妹) is a 2002 Hong Kong film directed by Joe Ma Wai-Ho. The film was followed by two sequels, also directed by Joe Ma: '' Love Undercover 2: Love Mission'' (2003) and '' Love Undercover 3'' (2006). Cast * Miriam ...

'' (2002) * '' The Eye'' (2002) * ''Chuet sai hiu B'' (''

Mighty Baby Mighty Baby were an English band formed in January 1969 from the ashes of The Action. They released two albums, ''Mighty Baby'' (which appeared in December 1969, but had been recorded almost a year earlier) and ''A Jug of Love'' (October 197 ...

'') (2002) * ''Obake yashiki'' (2002) * ''Tai yang wu zhi'' (2003) Wilson Yip at chinesemov.com
/ref>

Producer

* ''

All's Well, Ends Well 2010 ''All's Well, Ends Well 2010'' or abbreviated as ''AWEW 2010'' (Chinese: 花田囍事2010) is the fifth instalment of the '' All's Well, Ends Well'' series released during China's lunar holiday seasons. Directed by Raymond Wong and Herman Yau, i ...

'' (2010) * ''

SPL 2 ''SPL II: A Time for Consequences'' (also known as ''Sha po lang 2'' or ''Kill Zone 2'') is a 2015 Hong Kong-Chinese martial arts action film directed by Cheang Pou-soi and produced by Wilson Yip and Paco Wong. The film starred Tony Jaa, Wu Jing, ...

'' (2015) * ''

League of Gods ''League of Gods'' () is a 2016 Hong Kong-Chinese fantasy film directed by Koan Hui, co-produced by Charles Heung and Wilson Yip, based on the 16th-century novel '' Investiture of the Gods'' by Xu Zhonglin and starring an ensemble cast of Jet Li, ...

'' (2016) * ''

Heartfall Arises ''Heartfall Arises'' is a Chinese-Hong Kong suspense crime action drama film directed by Ng Ban-yu and starring Nicholas Tse, Sean Lau, Tong Liya, Mavis Fan and Vengo Gao. It was scheduled for release in Hong Kong on October 20, 2016 and in Chin ...

'' (2016) * '' Ip Man 4'' (2019) * ''

Limbo In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...

'' (2021)

References

External links

*
Wilson Yip interview

HK cinemagic entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yip, Wilson Living people Hong Kong film directors Hong Kong male film actors 1963 births