Yonfan
Encyclopedia
Yonfan is a Hong Kong
film director
and photographer.
. As the Yon family emigrated from the People's Republic, Yonfan spent his childhood first in Hong Kong
and then in Taiwan
. He returned to Hong Kong as a young man to work as a photographer, but left for the United States
in 1968 to study film. After a couple of years travelling through United States
, France
and Britain
, he returned to Hong Kong once again in 1973, and became a famous photographer most noted for his celebrity portraits.
In 1984, he made his box office debut as a director with A Certain Romance. Two years later, Yonfan adapted the much-loved romantic novel The Story of Rose by prolific writer Yi Shu
. Starring an up and coming Maggie Cheung
, the passionate Lost Romance was a huge commercial success starring a young Chow Yun-fat
.
After In Between (1993), Yonfan started to steer away from the mainstream market and began to introduced characters from the marginalised section of the society. With 1998 came another milestone, Bishonen, best known for its romantic cinematography and explicit portrayal of homosexual onscreen passion. Inspired by a real-life scandal in which a Hong Kong playboy was found to possess more than a thousand nude photographs of local police officers, this melodramatic tale of redemption polarized film critics in Hong Kong, but was very well received at film festivals around the globe. It also launched the acting career of heartthrob Daniel Wu
.
In 2010, Yonfan was head of the jury at Hong Kong's Asian Film Awards
in March and was part of the jury of the Sydney Film Festival
in May.
In 2011, Yonfan headed the New Currents jury at the 16th Busan International Film Festival in October. The Festival also hosted a retrospective of the director's films, featuring seven of his restored and re-mastered films from the 1980s through 2000s.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and photographer.
Biography
He was born in Wunan province of ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. As the Yon family emigrated from the People's Republic, Yonfan spent his childhood first in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and then in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. He returned to Hong Kong as a young man to work as a photographer, but left for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1968 to study film. After a couple of years travelling through United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, he returned to Hong Kong once again in 1973, and became a famous photographer most noted for his celebrity portraits.
In 1984, he made his box office debut as a director with A Certain Romance. Two years later, Yonfan adapted the much-loved romantic novel The Story of Rose by prolific writer Yi Shu
Yi Shu
Yi Shu or Isabel Nee Yeh-su is a popular Hong Kong writer. She is the younger sister of Ni Kuang. She had other pen names like Rose , Mui Fon , Lok Hon , and Luk Kok .-Childhood:...
. Starring an up and coming Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
, the passionate Lost Romance was a huge commercial success starring a young Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
.
After In Between (1993), Yonfan started to steer away from the mainstream market and began to introduced characters from the marginalised section of the society. With 1998 came another milestone, Bishonen, best known for its romantic cinematography and explicit portrayal of homosexual onscreen passion. Inspired by a real-life scandal in which a Hong Kong playboy was found to possess more than a thousand nude photographs of local police officers, this melodramatic tale of redemption polarized film critics in Hong Kong, but was very well received at film festivals around the globe. It also launched the acting career of heartthrob Daniel Wu
Daniel Wu
Daniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
.
In 2010, Yonfan was head of the jury at Hong Kong's Asian Film Awards
Asian Film Awards
The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to recognize excellence of film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema.-History:...
in March and was part of the jury of the Sydney Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
in May.
In 2011, Yonfan headed the New Currents jury at the 16th Busan International Film Festival in October. The Festival also hosted a retrospective of the director's films, featuring seven of his restored and re-mastered films from the 1980s through 2000s.
Filmography
- A Certain Romance (少女日記, 1984) starring Sally YehSally YehSally Yeh , sometimes written as Sally Yip or Yip Sin-Man, is a Cantopop singer in the Hong Kong music industry and an actress in the Hong Kong film industry.-Overview:...
- Lost Romance (玫瑰的故事, 1986) starring Maggie CheungMaggie CheungMaggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
, Chow Yun-fatChow Yun-FatChow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon... - Immortal Story (海上花, 1986) starring Sylvia ChangSylvia ChangSylvia Chang 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.- Actress :...
- Double Fixation (意亂情迷, 1987) starring Cherie ChungCherie ChungCherie Chung Chor-hung is a retired Hong Kong film actress.She is one of the top actresses in Hong Kong Film 1980s.InHakka descent, she participated in the Miss Hong Kong competition but won nothing...
, Jacky CheungJacky CheungJacky Cheung is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor. The Chinese language media refers to him, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings , with more than 60 million records sold as of 2000.... - Last Romance (流金歲月, 1988) starring Cherie ChungCherie ChungCherie Chung Chor-hung is a retired Hong Kong film actress.She is one of the top actresses in Hong Kong Film 1980s.InHakka descent, she participated in the Miss Hong Kong competition but won nothing...
, Maggie CheungMaggie CheungMaggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983... - Promising Miss Bowie (祝福, 1990) starring Dodo Cheng, Kenneth TsangKenneth TsangKenneth Tsang Kong is a Hong Kong actor. Tsang's career has spanned 50 years and included a variety of acting roles.Tsang was born in Shanghai, China with family roots in Jida, Zhuhai, Guangdong. He attended high school in Wah Yan Hong Kong and then Wah Yan, Kowloon...
- In Between (新同居時代, 1993) starring Maggie CheungMaggie CheungMaggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
, Sylvia ChangSylvia ChangSylvia Chang 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.- Actress :... - Bugis StreetBugis Street (film)Bugis Street is a 1995 Hong Kong-Singapore co-production directed by Yonfan, about the lives of Singaporean transvestites in a bygone era...
(妖街皇后, 1995) starring Maggie CheungMaggie CheungMaggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
, Sylvia ChangSylvia ChangSylvia Chang 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.- Actress :... - BishonenBishonen (film)Bishonen... , is a 1998 Hong Kong romantic drama film about an ill-fated gay romance. It is directed by Yonfan and starred Stephen Fung, Daniel Wu and Shu Qi....
(美少年の戀, 1998) starring Daniel WuDaniel WuDaniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
, Shu QiShu QiShu Qi is the stage name of a Taiwanese actress born Lin Li-Hui . Her stage name is occasionally romanized as Hsu Chi or Shu Kei . Her name is sometimes seen in the Western order as Qi Shu.-Early life:...
, Brigitte LinBrigitte LinBrigitte Lin or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies... - Peony Pavilion (遊園驚夢, 2001) starring Daniel WuDaniel WuDaniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
, Rie MiyazawaRie Miyazawais a Japanese actress and former model.- Life and career :Rie Miyazawa was born in Tokyo and raised by her mother. Since her debut at age 11 in an advertisement for Kit Kat, she has many films, television shows, commercials, stage appearances and photo books to her credit. She starred in the...
, Joey WongJoey WongJoey Wong is a Hong Kong based Taiwanese-born actress.-Biography:Wong was born on January 31, 1967 and raised in Taipei and also received a secondary school education there. She was enrolled in the drama course of Kuo Kwan Arts School... - Breaking the Willow (鳳冠情事, 2003)
- Colour BlossomsColour BlossomsColour Blossoms is a 2004 Hong Kong art film written and directed by Yonfan, and the third in an informal trilogy of films inspired by Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion...
(桃色, 2004), starring Teresa Cheung, Keiko MatsuzakaKeiko Matsuzakais an actress.Born in Ōta, Tokyo, her father was a naturalized South Korean while her mother was Japanese. Active as a child actress in the 1960s, she came into her own as an adult with Daiei, then in 1972 with Shochiku.... - Prince of TearsPrince of TearsPrince of Tears is a historical drama film by Yonfan. It was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice International Film Festival. It tells the story of a family embroiled in the tragic "White Terror" suppression of political dissidents that was wrought during the 1950s by the Kuomintang...
(淚王子, 2009)