Terence Chang | |
|---|---|
| Chinese:張家振 | |
.jpg) Terence Chang at Tokyo International Film Festival (2019) | |
| Occupation | Film producer |
Terence Chang Chia-Chen (Chinese:張家振) is aHong Kong andAmericanfilm producer.
Chang was born in Hong Kong in 1949.[1] In 1968, he took architecture courses at theUniversity of Oregon; he then went on to study film atNew York University in 1974.[2] By 1977, Chang had gone back to Hong Kong to joinGolden Harvest. OnItchy Fingers (1979), where he worked as an assistant producer, Chang metJohn Woo, whom he would develop a longtime friendship and business partnership with.[2]
Chang left Golden Harvest in 1979 to joinRediffusion Television, where he oversaw the station's television production.[1][2] During his tenure, Chang would befriend writer and producer Johnny Mak, and would join Mak's newly-formed production company in 1981.[2] He is credited as an associate producer onLonely Fifteen (1982),Dragon Force (1982), andEverlasting Love (1984).[2]Everlasting Love would be screened at theDirectors' Fortnight section during the1984 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
In 1985, Chang wrote and directed his debut movie,Escape from Coral Cove (1986).[2] The following year, he joined D&B Films as the head of distribution. In a two year span, he helped promote films likeYes, Madam (1985),Legacy of Rage (1986), andMagnificent Warriors (1987) internationally. This would help bolster the overseas popularity for actors likeMichelle Yeoh andCynthia Rothrock.[1][2] At the end of 1987, Chang joinedFilm Workshop as a general manager, where he would start to work closely with Woo.[2] Chang would be the primary production executive for Woo'sThe Killer (1989), andThe Swordsman (1990).[1]
Chang would establish Milestone Pictures with Woo andLinda Kuk in 1990. Under this production company, Chang would produce multiple films by Woo, includingOnce a Thief (1991) andHard Boiled (1992).[1] He also would become the managers of writerLilian Lee and regular Woo film starChow Yun-fat.[1] Alongside Kuk, Chang would form Eastern Renaissance Pictures with her, producingTreasure Hunt (1994).[2]
Chang is one ofJohn Woo's longtime friends and favoured producers. Chang produced the1997 action hitFace/Off andMission: Impossible 2.
Following the box-office disappointment ofThe Crossing,John Woo and Chang disbandedLion Rock Productions.[3] Following the film, Chang was an executive producer onZhou Quan's filmEnd of Summer andLu Yang's 2014 filmBrotherhood of Blades.[3]
Following the disbandment Lion Rock, Chang created the Hong Kong–based Mannix Pictures, a team which included talent agent Amanda Yang Xin in Beijing and Shanghai-basedLucida Entertainment.[3]
Chang is among the actors, producers and directors interviewed in the documentaryThe Slanted Screen (2006), directed byJeff Adachi, about the representation ofAsian andAsian American men inHollywood.
On August 22, 2007,Fruit Chan announced that he will make a film onBruce Lee's early years, specifically, theChinese-language movie,Kowloon City. The film will be produced by Chang. The film will be set in 1950sHong Kong. Chang's credits includeMade in Hong Kong,Hollywood Hong Kong andDurian Durian.
Stanley Kwan stated that he was talking with Lee's family to make a movie about the late action movie icon. Further, in April, Chinese state media announced that its national broadcaster started filming a 40-part TV series on Bruce Lee to promote Chinese culture for the 2008Beijing Summer Olympics.[4]
As producer