Alan Mak
Encyclopedia
Alan Mak Siu-Fai born on 1 January 1968 in Hong Kong
, is a writer
, director
, actor
and producer
.
in the Hong Kong Academy for Performance Arts. Upon graduation in 1990, he started his movie career.
. After that, Mak had directed more films such as Rave Fever, A War Named Desire, Final Romance and Stolen Love, which would be his first collaboration with writer Felix Chong
.
In 2002, Mak and Chong wrote their first script together. The movie was Infernal Affairs
, which was produced by Mak's directing partner, Andrew Lau
, who also served as cinematographer
. Lau and Mak also served as directors for the film, and it would be the first of many collaborations involving the directing duo.
Infernal Affairs starred the four top actors of its year—Andy Lau
, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Eric Tsang
and Anthony Wong
—along with the year's two top actresses—Kelly Chen
and Sammi Cheng
. Infernal Affairs was the number one box-office hit in Hong Kong that year, breaking several box office records alone. Furthermore, the film won many Hong Kong Film Awards
, including Best Picture, Best Directors (Lau and Mak), Best Screenplay (Mak and co-writer Chong), and Best Supporting Actor (Wong). Infernal Affairs also went on win awards at the 40th Golden Horse Awards and the Golden Bauhinia Awards
.
In 2003, Lau and Mak had completed the trilogy with the prequel Infernal Affairs II
and the sequel
/prequel
Infernal Affairs III
. That same year, Mak received the 2003 Leader of the Year award in the Sports/Culture/Entertainment category.
In 2004, Lau and Mak worked on another blockbuster, Initial D
, which was shot in Japan
and released in Hong Kong during the summer. Once again, it was also another successful film for Lau and Mak, winning multiple awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards, winning for Best New Performer (Jay Chou
), Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Wong Chau Sang| Anthony Wong), and Best Visual Effects.
In 2006, Lau, Mak and scriptwriter Felix Chong re-teamed to make the 2005 film, Moonlight in Tokyo. They re-teamed again for the 2006 film Confession of Pain
, once again re-teaming with Infernal Affairs star Tony Leung Chiu-Wai.
Mak's next film is Lady Cop & Papa Crook
which he co-wrote and co-directed with Felix Chong
. The film, set for a September 2008 release, marks the feature-film return of Sammi Cheng
after a three-year hiatus.
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...
, is a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, 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:...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
Biography
In 1986, Mak studied at the School of DramaSchool of Drama
The School of Drama and Fine Arts is the only institution of its kind in Kerala, India that provides a formal education and training in drama and theatre. Established in 1977, at Aranattukara, a suburb of Thrissur, it runs at John Mathai Extension Centre of the University of Calicut and offers...
in the Hong Kong Academy for Performance Arts. Upon graduation in 1990, he started his movie career.
Career
Mak made his directorial debut in 1997, with his first film being Nude Fear, which was written and produced by Joe MaJoe Ma Wai-Ho
Joe Ma Wai-ho is a Hong Kong film director, scriptwriter and producer.-Filmography as director:* My Sassy Girl 2 * Sasori * Love Undercover 3 * Embrace Your Shadow * Hidden Heroes...
. After that, Mak had directed more films such as Rave Fever, A War Named Desire, Final Romance and Stolen Love, which would be his first collaboration with writer Felix Chong
Felix Chong
Felix Chong Man-Keung is a Hong Kong screenwriter, film director and actor.He is one of the most celebrated screenwriters in Hong Kong and has won several prestigious awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards...
.
In 2002, Mak and Chong wrote their first script together. The movie was Infernal Affairs
Infernal Affairs
Infernal Affairs is a 2002 Hong Kong crime-thriller film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates the triads, and a police officer secretly working for the same gang. The Chinese title means "the non-stop path", a reference to Avici, the lowest...
, which was produced by Mak's directing partner, Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong cinematographer and filmmaker. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film...
, who also served as cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
. Lau and Mak also served as directors for the film, and it would be the first of many collaborations involving the directing duo.
Infernal Affairs starred the four top actors of its year—Andy Lau
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai , MH is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio series on TVB over the course of 10 years.-Biography:Due to his popularity, he is often the MC in events organized by TVB, and is nicknamed "the Prize Master"...
and Anthony Wong
Anthony Wong Chau Sang
Anthony Wong Chau-sang is a Hong Kong Film Award-winning Hong Kong actor, screenwriter and film director. He is regarded as one of the most notable actors in Hong Kong.-Biography:...
—along with the year's two top actresses—Kelly Chen
Kelly Chen
Kelly Chen is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. Kelly has also been known as a diva in Asia. She has a great success in Asia Entertainment industry with nearly 20 million record sales of 38 albums...
and Sammi Cheng
Sammi Cheng
Sammi Cheng Sau-Man is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. Having enjoyed much success in the Hong Kong music industry, Sammi has been known as a diva and has been one of the most successful female singer in Hong Kong since the 1990s. Her albums have sold more than 25 million copies through...
. Infernal Affairs was the number one box-office hit in Hong Kong that year, breaking several box office records alone. Furthermore, the film won many Hong Kong Film Awards
Hong Kong Film Awards
The Hong Kong Film Awards , founded in 1982, are the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong and among the most respected in mainland China and Taiwan. Award ceremonies are held annually, typically in April. The Awards recognize achievement in all aspects of filmmaking, such as directing,...
, including Best Picture, Best Directors (Lau and Mak), Best Screenplay (Mak and co-writer Chong), and Best Supporting Actor (Wong). Infernal Affairs also went on win awards at the 40th Golden Horse Awards and the Golden Bauhinia Awards
Golden Bauhinia Awards
Golden Bauhinia Awards is a Hong Kong film award organised by the Hong Kong Film Critics Association. Its first award presentation ceremony took place in 1996....
.
In 2003, Lau and Mak had completed the trilogy with the prequel Infernal Affairs II
Infernal Affairs II
Infernal Affairs II is a 2003 Hong Kong crime-thriller film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak.It is a prequel to the 2002 film Infernal Affairs. Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, and Chapman To reprise their roles from the original film alongside new cast members Carina Lau,...
and the sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
/prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
Infernal Affairs III
Infernal Affairs III
Infernal Affairs III is a 2003 Hong Kong crime thriller film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It is the third installment in the Infernal Affairs film series, and is both a sequel and a semi-prequel to the original film, as it intercuts events before and after the events in the first film...
. That same year, Mak received the 2003 Leader of the Year award in the Sports/Culture/Entertainment category.
In 2004, Lau and Mak worked on another blockbuster, Initial D
Initial D (film)
Initial D is a 2005 Hong Kong film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It is a film adaptation of the Japanese Initial D manga and anime series.-Plot:...
, which was shot in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and released in Hong Kong during the summer. Once again, it was also another successful film for Lau and Mak, winning multiple awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards, winning for Best New Performer (Jay Chou
Jay Chou
Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for...
), Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Wong Chau Sang| Anthony Wong), and Best Visual Effects.
In 2006, Lau, Mak and scriptwriter Felix Chong re-teamed to make the 2005 film, Moonlight in Tokyo. They re-teamed again for the 2006 film Confession of Pain
Confession of Pain
Confession of Pain is a 2006 Hong Kong crime/drama film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, and starring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Shu Qi and Xu Jinglei.-Plot summary:...
, once again re-teaming with Infernal Affairs star Tony Leung Chiu-Wai.
Mak's next film is Lady Cop & Papa Crook
Lady Cop & Papa Crook
Lady Cop & Papa Crook is a 2009 Hong Kong crime film written and directed by Alan Mak and Felix Chong, and starring Sammi Cheng and Eason Chan...
which he co-wrote and co-directed with Felix Chong
Felix Chong
Felix Chong Man-Keung is a Hong Kong screenwriter, film director and actor.He is one of the most celebrated screenwriters in Hong Kong and has won several prestigious awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards...
. The film, set for a September 2008 release, marks the feature-film return of Sammi Cheng
Sammi Cheng
Sammi Cheng Sau-Man is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. Having enjoyed much success in the Hong Kong music industry, Sammi has been known as a diva and has been one of the most successful female singer in Hong Kong since the 1990s. Her albums have sold more than 25 million copies through...
after a three-year hiatus.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Film | Awards and Nominations | Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Overheard Overheard (film) Overheard is a 2009 Hong Kong crime thriller film written and directed by Alan Mak and Felix Chong, and produced by Henry Fong and Derek Yee. The film stars Lau Ching-Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu as a trio of police officers conducting surveillance on a public company... (2009) |
Nominated: Best Director Shared with Felix Chong | 29th Hong Kong Film Awards 29th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony for the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards took place on 18 April 2010 . Here are the nominees listed taken from the official website.Wang Po Chieh's original nomination for the Best New Performer was withdrawn after he was confirmed to be an actor in the 2008 Taiwan film Winds of September... |
| 2010 | Overheard Overheard (film) Overheard is a 2009 Hong Kong crime thriller film written and directed by Alan Mak and Felix Chong, and produced by Henry Fong and Derek Yee. The film stars Lau Ching-Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu as a trio of police officers conducting surveillance on a public company... (2009) |
Nominated: Screenplay Shared with Felix Chong | 29th Hong Kong Film Awards 29th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony for the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards took place on 18 April 2010 . Here are the nominees listed taken from the official website.Wang Po Chieh's original nomination for the Best New Performer was withdrawn after he was confirmed to be an actor in the 2008 Taiwan film Winds of September... |