Career
In 1992 he won a Special Merit Award in Toronto for his CBC-Radio Drama, Rice Krinkles.
Local director/producer Teddy Robin enlisted Bi in the multi-talented capacities of actor, writer, and editor in his 1995 film Hong Kong Graffiti , and offered Bi his first chance at the big screen. In 1998 Bi line-produced Slow Fade for first time director Daniel Chan Fai which was selected into 1999 Berlin Film Festival. He garnered a second accolade in the same year with a Hong Kong Film Awards nomination for Best Original Film Score for Fruit Chan's The Longest Summer which was also an official selection at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival.
Kwan Wai-pang, better known as Teddy Robin, is a Hong Kong English pop singer-songwriter, actor, and director. He began his music career in 1960s when Hong Kong English pop was at its peak in terms of popularity in Hong Kong. He led a band named Teddy Robin and the Playboys. He later became an actor, film director, producer, and composer. Kelvin Kwan, his nephew, is currently a singer in Hong Kong.
"Slow Fade" is a song by Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Written by Mark Hall, it was released as the third single from Casting Crowns' 2007 studio album The Altar and the Door. Written after the public falls from grace of several church leaders, "Slow Fade" is a cautionary tale against making the wrong choices. It was positively received by music critics, who praised the song's lyrical theme.
Fruit Chan Gor is a Hong Kong Second Wave screenwriter, filmmaker and producer, who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors in his films. He became a household name after the success of the 1997 film Made in Hong Kong, which earned many local and international awards. Chan was deeply influenced by the era of sixties film in Japan, for the reason that they were not afraid to produce realistic movies that addressed society's problems. In particular, the Japanese director Nagisa Oshima was someone who Chan looked up to and thought of when directing Made in Hong Kong.
Besides working on films, Bi also took time out in 2001 to write a series of eight children's short stories for the Worldwide Fund for Nature. Entitled Lolo's Big Adventures, the series depicts a young black-faced spoonbill's migratory journeys and is aimed at educating school children on the preservation of endangered animals.
In 2002 Bi took on triple duties as assistant director, actor and story co-creator on The Runaway Pistol , one of the most critically acclaimed local films. It premiered at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and went on to receive three award nominations – Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Director at the 39th Golden Horse Awards.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival is one of Asia’s oldest international film festival. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies, filmmakers from different countries in Hong Kong.
Bi's script for Rice Rhapsody was awarded Outstanding Screenplay of 1999 by the Taiwan Government Information Office. It was subsequently selected by Pusan Promotion Plan as an Official Project for PPP 2000. The film was Bi's first 35mm feature film and it appeared in theatres in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. It stars Sylvia Chang, Martin Yan, Maggie Q and Mélanie Laurent.
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taiwan is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations (UN).
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state in Southeast Asia. It lies one degree north of the equator, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, with Indonesia's Riau Islands to the south and Peninsular Malaysia to the north. Singapore's territory consists of one main island along with 62 other islets. Since independence, extensive land reclamation has increased its total size by 23%. The country is known for its transition from a developing to a developed one in a single generation under the leadership of its founder Lee Kuan Yew.
Sylvia Chang or Chang Ai-chia is a Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, producer and director. In 1992, she was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival.
Rice Rhapsody premiered at the largest film festival in Asia, Pusan International Film Festival in October 2004 and was selected into competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival in the same month. It was also nominated in the Best Actress and Best Original Film Score category at the Golden Horse Awards in December 2004 in Taiwan. It has also won "Best Actress" at Newport Beach International Film Festival and won "Best First Theatrical Feature" at Worldfest, Houston International Film Festival in 2005.
His second film as director, The Drummer was released in Hong Kong on October 11, 2007. It stars Jaycee Chan, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Angelica Lee, Roy Cheung, Josie Ho, Kenneth Tsang, Eugenia Yuan and the internationally acclaimed Chinese Zen drumming group U-Theatre. The Drummer made its North American premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It is the first film from Hong Kong and Taiwan to be selected for competition at Sundance.
Datuk Chan Kong-sang, known professionally as Jackie Chan, is a Hong Kong martial artist, actor, film director, producer, stuntman, and singer. He is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts, which he typically performs himself, in the cinematic world. He has trained in wushu or kungfu and hapkido, and has been acting since the 1960s, appearing in over 150 films.
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in the Republic of China. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China. The awards ceremony is usually held in November or December in Taipei, though the venue has been shifted around the island in recent times.
The Hong Kong Film Awards, founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, acting and cinematography. The awards are the Hong Kong equivalent to the American Academy Awards and the British BAFTAs.
Ivan Heng is a Singaporean actor and theatre director of Peranakan descent. He is the founding artistic director of W!LD RICE, a theatre company in Singapore, and an outspoken advocate for respect for diversity and freedom of expression.
Clara Law Cheuk-yiu is a Hong Kong Second Wave film director who has now relocated to Australia.
The Busan International Film Festival, held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held from 13 to 21 September 1996, was also the first international film festival in Korea. The focus of the BIFF is introducing new films and first-time directors, especially those from Asian countries. Another notable feature is the appeal of the festival to young people, both in terms of the large youthful audience it attracts and through its efforts to develop and promote young talent. In 1999, the Pusan Promotion Plan was established to connect new directors to funding sources. The 16th BIFF in 2011 saw the festival move to a new permanent home, the Busan Cinema Center in Centum City. The Busan Cinema Center is an about USD 150 million structure designed by Austria-based architecture collective Coop Himmelblau. The about 30,000 m² Cinema Center includes a 4,000-seat outdoor theatre; four indoor screens under an LED-covered roof; media centre; archive space; and conference rooms; allowing the festival to include industry forums and educational activities.
Kelly Lin or Lin Hsi-Lei is a Taiwanese actress and model who has appeared mainly in Hong Kong films.
Eugenia Yuan is a former rhythmic gymnast and a Chinese American actress and Hong Kong Film Awards winner.
Meng Ong is a Singapore born filmmaker. He began making movies at 16 and graduated from New York University Film School. Miss Wonton is his first feature-length film, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival 2001 in the American spectrum section. He has also been selected as one of the “Directors to Watch” by filmfestivals.com. It also won the prestigious PRIX FIPRESCI International Critics Prize at the Locarno International Film Festival and showcased at other festivals like Pusan International Film Festival and as the opening night film at the Bite the Mango film festival in UK. The film has been released by United International Pictures in Singapore (2001) and at the Cinema Village in New York City (2002). It has been released on video by Comstar.
The Drummer is a 2007 Hong Kong-Taiwanese drama film written and directed by Kenneth Bi and starring Jaycee Chan, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Angelica Lee. It is Kenneth Bi's second film as a director.
Mad Detective is a 2007 Hong Kong psychological thriller film produced and directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai.
Mad Detective was first screened at the 64th Venice International Film Festival, and later premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, before being released in Hong Kong on 29 November 2007. The film's screenplay won "Best Screenplay" awards at various Asian film ceremonies.
Summer Snow is a 1995 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed by Ann Hui. It stars Josephine Siao and Roy Chiao in leading roles. The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 68th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Susie Au Suet-yee, is an award-winning filmmaker and versatile based in Hong Kong. Her works include TV commercials, music videos, feature films, documentaries and multi-installations.
Hollywood Hong Kong is a 2001 Hong Kong film directed by Fruit Chan, with screenplay written by Kei To Lam. It is the second instalment of his "prostitution trilogy" which Chan directed from 2000–02. The other two movies in the trilogy are Durian Durian (2000) and Public Toilet (2002).
The 4th Asian Film Awards was given in a ceremony on 22 March 2010 as part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Life Without Principle is a 2011 Hong Kong crime drama film produced and directed by Johnnie To and starring Lau Ching-wan, Richie Jen and Denise Ho. This film was screened in competition at the 68th Venice Film Festival on 9 September 2011. The North America distribution rights was purchased by Indomina Group shortly after the Festival. The deal was made between Indomina and the film's sales agent Media Asia Group.
Big Bullet is a 1996 Hong Kong action film directed, produced and co-written by Benny Chan. The film won awards for film editing at the 1996 Golden Horse Film Festival and the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards.
The 31st Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony took place in Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 15 April 2012. The hosts for the awards ceremony are Eric Tsang, Bowie Tsang, Gordon Lam, Ronald Cheng and Angelababy. TVB, Now TV and RTHK Radio 2 were the live broadcasters of the ceremony, with other networks airing simulcasts across the world.
Wang Shaudi is a Taiwanese director, writer and film producer who has been involved in making such production as Life Plan A and B, 1000 Walls in Dream and Tropical Fish. She has won multiple awards for her work including one for Best Screenplay at the Golden Horse Film Festival and one for Best Film at the Taipei Film Festival. In 2014 she was presented with the Taiwan National Award for Arts for her contributions to film making.
