- Born
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1956) is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylised, emotionally resonant work, including Ah fei zing zyun (1990), Dung che sai duk (1994), Chung Hing sam lam (1994), Do lok tin si (1995), Chun gwong cha sit (1997), 2046 (2004) and My Blueberry Nights (2007), Yi dai zong shi (2013). His film Fa yeung nin wa (2000), starring Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, garnered widespread critical acclaim. Wong's films frequently feature protagonists who yearn for romance in the midst of a knowingly brief life and scenes that can often be described as sketchy, digressive, exhilarating, and containing vivid imagery. Wong was the first Chinese director to win the Best Director Award of Cannes Film Festival (for his work Chun gwong cha sit in 1997). Wong was the President of the Jury at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, which makes him the only Chinese person to preside over the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. He was also the President of the Jury at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2013. In 2006, Wong accepted the National Order of the Legion of Honour: Knight (Highest Degree) from the French Government. In 2013, Wong accepted Order of Arts and Letters: Commander (Highest Degree) by the French Minister of Culture.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Movie Guy
- SpouseEsther(? - present) (1 child)
- ChildrenQing Wong
- ParentsWang DeyanGao Wenzhen
- Often casts Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Cheung in his films
- Often wears sunglasses
- Opening and closing credits against a red or blue backdrop
- Abstract, abrupt and ambiguous endings with the characters left with ambivalent feelings at the end, leaving the outcome "post-ending" to the viewer's choice and interpretation
- Usage of flip clocks to show the time in particular scenes
- 1st Chinese to win the Best Director Award at Cannes film Festival (1997)
- Loves Ingmar Bergman's films.
- Wong has an unusual approach to film making, starting production without a script and generally relying on instinct and improvisation rather than pre-prepared ideas. In advance, the cast are given a minimal plot outline and expected to develop their characters as they film. To capture naturalness and spontaneity, Wong does not allow for rehearsals and alternately encourages improvisation and collaboration. He similarly does not use storyboards or plan camera placement, preferring to experiment as he goes. His shooting ratio is consequently very high, sometimes forty takes per scene, and production typically goes well over schedule and over budget.
- He claims that his non-linear style of story-telling is inspired by the late Argentinian writer Manuel Puig's novel titled "The Buenos Aires Affair".
- Never went to a film school.
- It takes less effort to stream a film at home these days. However, streaming should not fundamentally affect how a film is made, as long as the pleasure of watching films doesn't change. And we as filmmakers continue to serve that purpose. (2021)
- Filmmaking is an organic process from start to finish, so there should be many surprises along the way. You never know what film you really have until it is delivered.
- When I was young, the idea of "world cinema" didn't exist. We would watch any films that we could find in the cinemas. Today, some of those films have become accessible again on streaming platforms. In a way, it doesn't matter as much where they exist as long as people have access to them. (2021)
- My ideas about writing changed as soon as I started directing. As a writer, I wanted my scripts to be perfect and fully formed. As a director, I know there are always factors beyond my control. Many things in any film cannot be planned concretely in advance. The best you can do is visualize what you want, and then respond to what's there once you go on set. Nowadays I start from a fairly loose script and tend to write the dialogue on the day of shooting.
- The color is so vivid because everything from memory is vivid - it's beautiful because it's very close to your mind.
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