Andrew Lau | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Lau in 2017 | |||||||
| Born | (1960-04-04)4 April 1960 (age 64) | ||||||
| Occupation(s) | Film director,film producer,cinematographer | ||||||
| Awards | Hong Kong Film Awards –Best Director 2002Infernal Affairs Best Cinematography 2006Confession of Pain Golden Bauhinia Awards –Best Director 2002Infernal Affairs Golden Horse Awards –Best Director 2002Infernal Affairs | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 劉偉強 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 刘伟强 | ||||||
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Andrew Lau Wai-keung (Chinese:劉偉強, born 4 April 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, andcinematographer. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such asRingo Lam,Wong Jing andWong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming afilm director andproducer. Apart from making films in his native Hong Kong, Lau has also made films in China, Korea and the United States. A highly prolific filmmaker, Lau has made films in a variety of genres, and is most notable in the West for hisaction andcrime films which include theYoung and Dangerous film series, theInfernal Affairs trilogy (the latter co-directed together withAlan Mak), andRevenge of the Green Dragons (executive produced byMartin Scorsese).
Andrew Lau was born 4 April 1960, and is one of six siblings.[1] As a child, he was raised in theNew Territories of Hong Kong.[2] His father worked as a construction worker onHong Kong Island. Since his parents did not have time to concentrate on all of their children, Lau had developed an interest in photography. Lau was also a Catholic, and would go to church every week, learning how to play a guitar. As a child and high school student, Lau admits to not liking Hong Kong, since it was a British colony.[1]
He currently has four children, three sons and a daughter.
Lau joinedShaw Brothers Studios after graduating from secondary school. He made his film debut as a semi-skilled cinematographer forLau Kar-leung's 1982 filmLegendary Weapons of China.[3] He later served as a cinematographer forSammo Hung's 1986 martial arts filmMillionaire's Express andRingo Lam's 1987 crime thrillerCity on Fire, where he became known for his use of lighting and hand-held cinematography. His work onAs Tears Go By (1988), the directorial debut ofWong Kar-wai, earned him his firstHong Kong Film Award nomination for Best Cinematography. He also shot the beginning portion ofWong Kar-wai'sChungking Express in 1994 (Christopher Doyle was cinematographer for the film's second half).
Lau become a film director and producer on top of still being a cinematographer. He made his directorial debut with the 1990 action filmAgainst All. Lau went on to make films for prolific filmmakerWong Jing, including the 1993Category III filmRaped by an Angel and the 1994 filmTo Live and Die in Tsimshatsui. In 1996, Lau directed and photographed the 1996 filmYoung and Dangerous, a film centered on Hong Kong'sTriad society. The film was a huge success in Hong Kong, but also gained controversy for its glorification of Triads. The film spawned aseveral sequels and spin-offs, in which Lau directed seven sequels and one prequel. While filming the franchise, Lau teamed up with screenwriterManfred Wong and film producer Wong Jing to establishBoB and Partners Co. Ltd., a company responsible for films made by the trio of filmmakers. The trio's collaborations proved to be successful with films such asThe Storm Riders,The Legend of Speed, andThe Duel.
In 2002, Lau establishedBasic Pictures, a company responsible for the films in which he served as a producer and director. That year saw the success ofInfernal Affairs a crime thriller that the largest ensemble cast of any Hong Kong film that year.Infernal Affairs became a huge box-office success in Hong Kong, even being deemed as a "box-office miracle" at a time when Hong Kong cinema was said to have been lacking in creativity.Infernal Affairs also marked the first of several collaborations with co-directorAlan Mak, and screenwriterFelix Chong. Other films made by the directors and screenwriter include the sequels toInfernal Affairs (Infernal Affairs II andInfernal Affairs III),Initial D andConfession of Pain.
In 2014, Lau directed an Americanactioncrime drama filmRevenge of the Green Dragons, which was co-directed by Andrew Loo and executive produced byMartin Scorsese. The film has been screened at a number of international film festivals, and had also received a day-and-date theatrical and VOD release in the United States.[4] In December 2014, Lau said that the film was able to make profit.[5]
In 2007, Lau directed a five-minute short film for Vision Beijing, a project of theBeijing Foreign Cultural Exchanges Association and the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government.[6] Lau's short film was centered onBeijing cuisine, and consisted of actors from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan serving as "ambassadors". The cast includedTony Leung Chiu-Wai,Shu Qi, andJay Chou, actors who had appeared in several of Lau's films.
In 2009, Lau directed an eight-minute commercial promoting theAcura TL luxury car. The commercial is divided into three stories and featuresAndy Lau as a wine manor andGwei Lun-mei as an artist. Filming took place inSan Francisco,California with an American production team.[7]
