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Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962), also known as Peter Chan, is a Hong Kong-born filmmaker best known for directing films that span a wide range of genres, including romantic comedies, musical dramas, and historical epics. He is recognized as one of the most prominent directors in Chinese cinema, being the first director to win Best Director awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards, the Golden Horse Awards, and the China Golden Rooster Awards.
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Peter Chan | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Chan in 2011 | |||||||||||
| Born | 28 November 1962 | ||||||||||
| Partner | Sandra Ng | ||||||||||
| Children | Jilian Chan (daughter) | ||||||||||
| Awards | Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Director 1997 Comrades, Almost A Love Story 2008 The Warlords Best Film 1997 Comrades, Almost A Love Story 2008 The Warlords 2010 Bodyguards and Assassins Golden Bauhinia Awards – Best Director 1996 Comrades, Almost A Love Story Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards – Best Director 1996 Comrades, Almost A Love Story 2002 Three Golden Horse Awards – Best Director 1996 Comrades, Almost A Love Story 2005 Perhaps Love 2008 The Warlords | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 陳可辛 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 陈可辛 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Chan began his career in the film industry in the 1980s, working as an assistant director and producer on films for prominent directors such as John Woo and Jackie Chan. He made his directorial debut with Alan and Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye (1991). Among his notable films are He's a Woman, She's a Man (1994), Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996), Perhaps Love (2005), The Warlords (2007), WuXia (2011), American Dreams in China (2013), Dearest (2014), and Leap (2020).
In addition to his directorial success, Chan has also made significant contributions as a producer and entrepreneur. He co-founded Applause Pictures in 2000, a production company dedicated to creating high-quality films that appeal to both Asian and international audiences. In 2009, Chan founded WE Pictures, another production company that has focused on bringing Chinese stories to a global audience and continues to produce influential and acclaimed works. Chan’s notable producing works include The Eye Series, Protégé (2007), Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) and Soul Mate (2016).
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Chan was born in British Hong Kong to Chinese parents. His father, Chan Tung Man, was a writer-director and a columnist.[1][2] At the age of 11, Chan moved with his family to Thailand, where he grew up in Bangkok's international Chinese community and became fluent in Thai.[3][4]
He later attended film school at UCLA before returning to Hong Kong in 1983 for a summer internship in the film industry, which marked the beginning of his career in filmmaking.
Early Career and Breakthrough (1980s-1990s)
Peter Chan began his film career in the 1980s, serving as second assistant director, translator, and producer on John Woo's Heroes Shed No Tears (1986), set in Thailand.[3] He then worked as a location manager on three Jackie Chan films: Wheels on Meals (1984), The Protector (1985), and Armour of God (1986), all shot overseas.[3] In 1989, he joined Impact Films as a producer, guiding projects such as Curry and Pepper (1990) to completion.[3]
Chan made his directorial debut with Alan and Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye in 1991, which won Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild and Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards for Eric Tsang.[5] This period also saw him co-founding the United Filmmakers Organization (UFO) in the early 1990s,[6] which produced several box-office hits, including his own He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father (1993), Tom, Dick and Hairy (1993), He's a Woman, She's a Man (1994), and the internationally acclaimed Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1997) starring Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai. This film, often hailed as one of the greatest Chinese-language films ever made, catapulted Chan into international prominence and set the tone for his career as a director, producer and tireless advocate of the Chinese-language film industry.
Hollywood and Pan Asian Collaborations (Late 1990s-2000s)
In the late 1990s, Chan directed The Love Letter, a Hollywood film starring Kate Capshaw, Ellen DeGeneres, and Tom Selleck.[7][8] In 2000, he co-founded Applause Pictures,[9] where he spearheaded a drive to make Pan-Asian films for the region’s audiences, resulting in hits such as Jan Dara by Thailand's Nonzee Nimibutr, One Fine Spring Day South Korea's Hur Jin-ho, The Eye by Danny and Oxide Pang and cinematographer Christopher Doyle, The Eye sequals and its US remake. It also fostered collaborations with directors such as Park Chan-wook and Takashi Miike.
Since the mid-2000s, Chan has predominantly worked in mainland China, capitalizing on the rapid expansion of its film industry.[10] His 2005 musical film Perhaps Love, a Hong Kong-mainland China co-production, closed the Venice Film Festival and was Hong Kong's entry for the Academy Awards' Best Foreign Film category. Perhaps Love became one of the top-grossing films of the year in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, winning a record 29 awards. Chan also directed The Warlords (2007) and produced Derek Yee's Protégé (2007), both of which were the highest-grossing Hong Kong-China co-productions of the year. The Warlords won 8 Hong Kong Film Awards and 3 Golden Horse Awards, including Best Director and Best Feature Film.
Continued Success and Advocacy (2010s-Present)
In 2009, Chan founded WE Pictures, a production company aimed at supporting, producing and distributing films from a range of Chinese artists. That same year, he produced Teddy Chen's Bodyguards and Assassins, which won 8 Hong Kong Film Awards including Best Film. Chan's reputation was solidified when he was voted "the most valuable filmmaker" in a 2010 survey by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.[11]
Chan's 2011 martial arts film Wu Xia premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, the only Chinese-language film in that year's selection.[12] Time Magazine named Wu Xia one of the top ten films of 2012.[13] In 2020, his drama Leap, about the Chinese women's volleyball Olympic team, represented Mainland China and showcased his ability to navigate various genres.[14]
In 2022, Chan launched the production company Changin' Pictures to create streaming content.[15][16]
Chan’s new film, She’s Got No Name (2024), marks his second time in official selection at the Cannes Film Festival after Wu Xia.[17]
Ongoing Contributions
Throughout his career, Chan has leveraged his Thai heritage to engage in Pan-Asian film initiatives. His recent endeavor seeks to collaborate with a broad spectrum of South Asian and Southeast Asian filmmakers. By forming solidarity with notable directors like Kabir Khan, Kiran Rao, and Banjong Pisanthanakun, Chan aims to foster cross-pollination with filmmakers across a wider range throughout the continent, contributing to the growth and diversity of the region's cinema.
Chan's legacy is defined by his versatility, advocacy, and enduring impact on the Chinese-language film industry. His numerous accolades, including being the first director to win Best Director awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards, the Golden Horse Awards, and the China Golden Rooster Awards, underscore his remarkable talent and influential presence in the world of cinema.
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Chan has a daughter, Jilian Chan (born in 2006), with Hong Kong actress Sandra Ng, although the two have no intention of getting married.[18]
| Year | Title | Credited as | Chinese title | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Cameo | Producer | ||||
| 1986 | Heroes Shed No Tears | No | No | Yes | 英雄無淚 | |
| Millionaires Express | No | Yes | No | 富貴列車 | ||
| 1988 | Couples, Couples, Couples | No | Yes | No | 三對鴛鴦一張床 | |
| 1989 | News Attack | No | No | Yes | 神行太保 | |
| 1990 | Whampoa Blues | No | No | Yes | 壯志豪情 | |
| Curry and Pepper | No | No | Yes | 咖喱辣椒 | ||
| 1991 | Alan and Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye | Yes | No | Yes | 雙城故事 | |
| Yesteryou, Yesterme, Yesterday | No | No | Yes | 記得...香蕉成熟時 | ||
| 1992 | The Days of Being Dumb | No | No | Yes | 亞飛與亞基 | |
| 1992 | Twin Dragons | No | Yes | No | 雙龍會 | |
| 1993 | C'est la vie, mon chéri | No | Yes | No | 新不了情 | |
| 1993 | He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father | Yes | No | Yes | 新難兄難弟 | |
| Tom, Dick and Hairy | Yes | No | No | 風塵三俠 | ||
| 1994 | He's a Woman, She's a Man | Yes | No | Yes | 金枝玉葉 | |
| Over The Rainbow, Under The Skirt | No | No | Yes | 記得……香蕉成熟時II初戀情人 | ||
| Twenty Something | No | No | Yes | 晚9朝5 | ||
| 1995 | Happy Hour | No | No | Yes | 歡樂時光 | |
| 1996 | The Age of Miracles | Yes | No | Yes | 嫲嫲．帆帆 | |
| Who's The Woman, Who's The Man | Yes | No | Yes | 金枝玉葉2 | ||
| Comrades, Almost A Love Story | Yes | No | Yes | 甜蜜蜜 | [19] | |
| 1999 | The Love Letter | Yes | No | No | 情书 | |
| 2000 | Twelve Nights | No | No | Yes | 十二夜 | |
| 2001 | Jan Dara | No | No | Yes | Thai: จัน ดารา | |
| One Fine Spring Day | No | No | Yes | Korean: 봄날은 간다; Hanja: 春逝 | ||
| 2002 | The Eye | No | No | Yes | 見鬼 | |
| Three (segment Going Home) | Yes | No | Yes | 三更之回家 | ||
| Golden Chicken | No | No | Yes | 金雞 | ||
| 2003 | Project 1:99 (short film) | Yes | No | No | 1:99電影行動 - 2003春天……的回憶 | |
| Golden Chicken 2 | No | No | Yes | 金雞2 | ||
| 2004 | The Eye 2 | No | No | Yes | 見鬼2 | |
| Three...Extremes | No | No | Yes | 三更2之餃子 | ||
| 2005 | Perhaps Love | Yes | No | Yes | 如果·愛 | [20] |
| The Eye 10 | No | No | Yes | 見鬼10 | ||
| 2007 | Protégé | No | No | Yes | 門徒 | |
| The Warlords | Yes | No | Yes | 投名狀 | ||
| 2008 | The Eye (remake) | No | No | Executive | ||
| 2009 | Bodyguards and Assassins | No | No | Yes | 十月圍城 | [21] |
| 2011 | Mr. and Mrs. Incredible | No | No | Yes | 神奇俠侶 | |
| Dragon | Yes | No | Yes | 武俠 | [22] | |
| 2012 | The Guillotines | No | No | Yes | 血滴子 | |
| 2013 | American Dreams in China | Yes | No | Yes | 中國合伙人 | [23] |
| 2014 | Dearest | Yes | No | No | 親愛的 | [24] |
| The Truth About Beauty | No | No | Yes | 整容日记 | ||
| 2016 | Soul Mate | No | No | Yes | 七月與安生 | |
| 2017 | This Is Not What I Expected | No | No | Yes | 喜歡·你 | |
| 2018 | Last Letter | No | No | Yes | 你好，之華 | |
| 2019 | Better Days | No | No | Executive | 少年的你 | |
| 2020 | Leap | Yes | No | No | 奪冠 | |
| 2021 | Coffee or Tea | No | No | Yes | 一點就到家 | |
| 2023 | Tale of the Night | No | No | Yes | 长沙夜生活 | |
| 2024 | She's Got No Name | Yes | No | Yes | 醬園弄 | [25][26] |
| TBA | Li Na: My Life | Yes | No | Yes | 獨自·上場 | [27] |
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