Benny Chan
Chan in 2019
Born(1961-10-24)24 October 1961
Died23 August 2020(2020-08-23) (aged 58)
Occupation(s)Film director
Film producer
Screenwriter
Years active1981 - 2020
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Signature

Benjamin Chan Muk-sing (simplified Chinese: 陈木胜; traditional Chinese: 陳木勝; pinyin: Chén Mùshèng; 24 October 1961[1] – 23 August 2020[2]) was a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter.[3] He is best known for his feature films such as A Moment of Romance, Big Bullet, Who Am I?, Rob-B-Hood, New Police Story, Shaolin, The White Storm, Call of Heroes, and Raging Fire.

He was fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese and was nominated for Best Director six times at the Hong Kong Film Awards, include Big Bullet, Heroic Duo, New Police Story, Connected, The White Storm and Raging Fire. His last film, Raging Fire, posthumously earned him Best Director award at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards and the film went on to win Best Film award at the ceremony.[4][5]

Benny Chan died of nasopharyngeal cancer in Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital.

Life and career

Born and raised in Kowloon, Benny Chan first accepted a job in 1981 at Rediffusion Television working in continuity.[6] The following year, he joined TVB, becoming a production assistant to Johnnie To.[7][8] By 1985, Chan had worked his way up to being a television director, co-directing television series like The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain (1985).[8] In addition to directing most of the episodes of The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain, he also wrote the scripts for all 40 episodes.[9] Chan had gained experience as an executive director for a couple of films between 1987 and 1988, and had also directed and produced a few television series for Asia Television in 1989.[6]

Chan's debut as a film director began with A Moment of Romance (1990), which was produced by To.[6][10] During the 1990s, he directed films like Big Bullet (1996), Who Am I? (1998), and Gen-X Cops (1999). For his work on Big Bullet, which he co-wrote, directed, and produced,[11] Chan was nominated for Best Director at the 1997 Hong Kong Film Awards.[6] The film also won awards for Best Film Editing at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and the 1996 Golden Horse Film Festival.[7][12] He also continued to work in television, directing episodes of the 1995 adaptation of Fist of Fury starring Donnie Yen.[7][6]

Working in exclusively the film industry since 1998's Who Am I?,[6] Chan continued to work on various projects. Since Who Am I?, he continued to direct more of Jackie Chan's movies, such as New Police Story (2004), Rob-B-Hood (2006), and Shaolin (2011).[7] He also directed Heroic Duo (2003), Divergence (2005), Connected (2008), and The White Storm (2013).[6][8] Prior to his death, Chan was working on Raging Fire, which he gave to a colleague to complete post-production work after his cancer diagnosis.[11]

Illness and death

In 2019, Chan was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer after feeling unwell while working on Raging Fire.[11][8] During the last few months of his life, he was hospitalized at Prince of Wales Hospital.[6]

On 23 August 2020, Chan died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.[13]

Filmography

Feature film

This is a list of feature films which was made by Benny Chan. Most of his films are credited as a director, producer and screenwriter, others are noted.

Year Film Credit Note(s)
Director Screenwriter Producer
1987 Goodbye Darling No No Executive
1988 Let's Rage the Gangland Yes No No Directorial debut
Fatal Love No No Executive
1990 A Moment of Romance Yes No No
1991 Son on the Run Yes No No
1992 What a Hero! Yes No No
1993 The Magic Crane Yes No No
A Moment of Romance II Yes No No
1994 Wounded Tracks Yes No No
1995 Happy Hour Yes No No Cameo
Produced by Peter Ho-sun Chan
Man Wanted Yes No Yes
1996 Big Bullet Yes Yes Yes Nominated  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Nominated  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
They Don't Care About Us No No Yes
1998 Who Am I? Yes No No
1999 Gen-X Cops Yes Yes Yes
2000 Gen-Y Cops Yes No Yes Hong Kong-United States co-production
2001 Final Romance No No Yes
2002 If U Care... No No Yes
2003 Heroic Duo Yes No Yes Nominated  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
2004 New Police Story Yes No Yes Nominated  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Nominated  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
2005 Divergence Yes No Yes
2006 Rob-B-Hood Yes Yes Yes
2007 Invisible Target Yes Yes Yes
2008 Connected Yes Yes Yes Nominated  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
2010 City Under Siege Yes Yes Yes Also as an editor
2011 Shaolin Yes No Yes
2013 The White Storm Yes Yes Yes Nominated  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Nominated  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
2015 Little Big Master No No Yes Nominated  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
2016 Call of Heroes Yes Yes Yes
2017 Meow Yes No Yes
2021 Raging Fire Yes Yes Yes Posthumous release
Won  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Won  Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
The Trier of Fact No No Yes Credited as the producer in the pre-production stage

Television film

Awards and nominations

Year Work Awards Category Results
1996 Big Bullet 16th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Director Nominated
Best Film Nominated
2004 Heroic Duo 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Director Nominated
2005 New Police Story 24th Hong Kong Film Awards Nominated
Best Film Nominated
25th Golden Rooster Awards Nominated
28th Hundred Flowers Awards Nominated
2009 Connected 28th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Director Nominated
2014 The White Storm 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards Nominated
Best Film Nominated
2016 Little Big Master 35th Hong Kong Film Awards Nominated
2021 Raging Fire 13th Macau International Film Festival Best Director Won
Best Film Nominated
28th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards Best Director Won
Film of Merit Won
Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild Awards Best Film Won
Best Director Nominated
Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild Awards Best Recommended Screenplay Won
2022 40th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Director Won
Best Film Won

References

  1. "陳木勝 CHAN Muk Shing Benny" (in Chinese). hkfilmdirectors.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  2. "【一路好走】《掃毒》導演陳木勝不敵鼻咽癌病逝 終年58歲". hk.appledaily.com (in Traditional Chinese). 23 August 2020. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  3. "Benny Chan". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015.
  4. Ng Kang-chung (17 July 2022). "Late director Benny Chan feted as Hong Kong Film Awards return to full glory". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  5. "Hong Kong Film Awards List of The 40th Hong Kong Film Awards". Hong Kong Film Awards. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lee, Edmund (24 August 2020). "Benny Chan, one of the great action film directors". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Cheang, Michael (24 August 2020). "HK director Benny Chan dead at 58, best known for Jackie Chan's 'New Police Story'". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Yan, Lim Ruey (24 August 2020). "New Police Story director Benny Chan dies at 58". The Straits Times. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  9. "Benny Chan, leading film director in the Hong Kong action tradition – obituary". The Telegraph. 26 August 2020. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  10. Lee, Edmund (24 August 2020). "Remembering Benny Chan: action director's top five films". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 "New Police Story director Benny Chan Muk-sing dies at 58". sg.news.yahoo.com. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  12. "台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival". www.goldenhorse.org.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  13. "Hong Kong director Benny Chan of New Police Story fame dies at 58". CNA Lifestyle. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
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