Yan Yan Mak is a 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...

 based female award-winning director. She was born in the 1970s and graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts , located near the north coast of Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, is both an academic institution and a venue for performances....

 in 1998. Since 1993, as a student, Mak had worked for the film industry as a continuity girl, assistant director, production manager, art director and wardrobe designer. Her graduation short film Snapshots won the Distinguish Award at the International Short Film & Video Awards of 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...

 in 1998.

After directing number of short dramas for Radio Television Hong Kong

Radio Television Hong Kong

Radio Television Hong Kong is a public broadcasting organisation in Hong Kong that is operated as an independent department in the government under the Broadcasting Authority. RTHK operates seven radio channels, and produces television programmes that are then broadcast through local television...

, she established her own production company Dragonfly J Ltd., to make her own film. Her debut feature film, Gege (Brother), although using a very limited budget, a small crew and an all non-actors cast, was awarded the FIPRESCI Award at the 25th Hong Kong International Film Festival, the POVEGLIA Award at the International Week of Film Critics of the 58th Venice Film Festival, the Woosuk Award at Jeonju International Film Festival in Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

, as well as the Ecumenical Hury Prize at the International Film Festival Bratislava

Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...

n and Fribourg International Film Festival 2001.

Her second film Butterfly

Butterfly (2004 film)

Butterfly is a 2004 Hong Kong film based on Taiwanese writer Xue Chen’s novel The Mark of Butterfly . The film was directed by female award-winning director Yan Yan Mak and produced by Jacqueline Liu and Yan Yan Mak with the sponsorship of Hong Kong Art Development Council.-Plot:The film follows...

  (Hudie) was chosen as the Opening Film at Venice Film Festival

Venice Film Festival

The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...

 Critics Week, the Hong Kong Gay & Lesbian Film and Video Film Festival 2004 and Creteil International Women Film Festival in France 2005. Tian Yuan

Tian Yuan

Tian Yuan is a Chinese singer-songwriter, actress, novelist and photographer. Born in Wuhan, China, she majored in English at Beijing Language and Culture University, and graduated in 2007.-Music career:...

 was awarded as the Best New Artist at the 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,...

 in 2005. The film was also nominated at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards in 2004 for Best Adapted Screenplay (Yan Yan Mak) and Best Supporting Actor (Eric Kot

Eric Kot

Eric Kot Man Fai is a Hong Kong celebrity in the Chinese hip hop industry. As a popular MC/pop singer/actor who studied in California and is the youngest of three brothers...

).

From 2005, after become the collaborator with Hong Kong singer Cantopop

Cantopop

Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...

 singer Denise Ho

Denise Ho

Denise Ho Wan-See, also known as HOCC, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer.-1996-2001:Denise Ho was born in Hong Kong and received her education in Canada and Diocesan Girls' Junior School, Hong Kong. She emigrated with her family to Montreal, Quebec at the age of 11. She studied and graduated High...

, Yan Yan has produced numeral music videos, music short films and TV Commercials. ‘The Scarlet Robe’ has won the ‘Best Drama’ in Big Screen Film Festival, China 2007. They had finished their first feature length film ‘The Decameron’ (a documentary about madness, under the music project ’10 Days in the Madhouse’) in 2009.

Yan Yan has just completed her new feature ‘Merry-go-round’ (Dong Feng Po) which will be released in Fall 2010 @ Hong Kong.

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