''Written By'' ( zh, t=再生號, s=再生号, first=t) is a 2009 Hong Kong fantasy drama film co-written, produced, and directed by

Wai Ka-Fai Wai Ka-Fai (born 21 September 1962) is a Hong Kong screenwriter, producer, film director, and former TV screenwriter and producer. Wai is best known for his frequent collaborations with Johnnie To, another former TV turned film director and pr ...

, and starring

Lau Ching-Wan Sean Lau Ching-wan (born 16 February 1964) is a Hong Kong actor who has acted in both films and television series. He won Best Actor in the 2007 and 2015 Hong Kong Film Awards and in the 2000 and 2007 Golden Bauhinia Awards. Career Lau was born ...

and Kelly Lin. Lau plays a lawyer who is killed in an accident, leaving behind his wife, daughter, and son. He is resurrected as a character in his daughter's novel, where he finds himself a grieving husband who lost his family and his sight during a car accident, living in an alternate reality. The film premiered at the

New York Asian Film Festival The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...

in June 2009, and was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 10 July 2009.

Plot

plays a lawyer who dies in a car wreck just before answering his daughters question about ghosts, leaving behind his wife, daughter and son. To console herself, his daughter (blind from the crash) writes a novel where she, her mother and brother have died in a car wreck but her father(but blind) has survived. To her surprise, the character of her father in her book decides that HE needs to write a novel to console himself and in his novel he has died but his wife and daughter have lived...and on and on in an endlessly recursive loop, as wounded characters desperately apply fiction to try and dull the sharp edges of their grief."New York Asian Film Festival (19 June – 5 July) Announces Opening Night, Closing Night and Centerpiece Presentation Films - Anime News Network
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Cast

as Tony 2009.06.05．跟韋家輝＋劉青雲對談《再生號》＠中文大學 - 風雪中的故居～何故之火鍋約會 - 創意文化，共冶一爐，跨媒體美味饗宴！
/ref> * Kelly Lin as Mandy * Mia Yam as Melody * Yeung Shuk Man as Maid * Bonnie Wong as a Ghost Whisperer * Jo Kuk as Meng Por

Production

To prepare for his role as a blind man, Lau Ching-Wan studied

braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displ ...

, a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write. He joked that now with his eyes open he did not understand a single word in braille, but when he closed his eyes to touch it he could read it smoothly. Even after filming, Lau still felt attached to his character, and often engaged in mood swings.

Release

''Written By'' made its world premiere as an "Opening film" at the

in June 2009. The film was later released theatrically in Hong Kong on 10 July 2009.HKSAR Film No Top 10 Box Office: [2009.06.03] WAI KA FAI RISKS HIS LIFE FOR HIS OPENING FILM
/ref> Director

attended the premiere. Lau Ching-Wan was originally set appear at the festival, but decided to stay in Hong Kong due to the 2009 flu pandemic.

Awards and nominations

16th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award * Won: Best Screenplay (Wai Ka Fai and Au Kin Yee) * Film of Merit 4th Asian Film Awards * Nominated: Best Screenwriter (Wai Ka Fai and Au Kin Yee)

29th Hong Kong Film Awards The ceremony for the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards took place on 18 April 2010. Wang Po-chieh's original nomination for the Best New Performer was withdrawn after he was confirmed to be an actor in the 2008 Taiwan film ''Winds of September ''Winds ...

* Nominated: Best Screenplay (Wai Ka Fai and Au Kin Yee) * Nominated: Best Visual Effects (Teddy Mak Tak Man, Ken Law Wai Ho and Mary Ng Sze Sze)

References

External links

* {{Wai Ka-Fai 2009 films China Star Entertainment Group films 2000s fantasy drama films Hong Kong fantasy drama films Films directed by Wai Ka-Fai Films with screenplays by Wai Ka-fai 2009 drama films 2000s Hong Kong films