Benny Chan (filmmaker)

{{Infobox person

| name = Benny Chan

| image = 陳木勝 - Grinned.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Chan in 2019

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1961|10|24|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Kowloon, British Hong Kong

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|8|23|1961|10|24|df=yes}}

| death_place = Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

| occupation = {{hlist|Film director|film producer|screenwriter}}

| years_active = 1981–2020

| notable_works = Full list

| awards = Full list

| module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes

| t = {{linktext|陳|木|勝}}

| s = {{linktext|陈|木|胜}}

| p = Chén Mùshèng

| j = Can4 Meok6 Sing3

}}

| signature = 陳木勝簽名 The signature of Benny Chan.jpg

}}

Benny Chan Muk-sing ({{zh|t=陳木勝|s=陈木胜|p=Chén Mùshèng}}; 24 October 1961{{cite web |title=陳木勝 CHAN Muk Shing Benny |url=http://www.hkfilmdirectors.com/zh-hk/director/chan-muk-shing-benny |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924030635/http://www.hkfilmdirectors.com/zh-hk/director/chan-muk-shing-benny |archive-date=24 September 2015 |publisher=hkfilmdirectors.com |language=zh |accessdate=19 July 2018}} – 23 August 2020{{cite web |date=23 August 2020 |title=【一路好走】《掃毒》導演陳木勝不敵鼻咽癌病逝終年58歲 |url=https://hk.appledaily.com/entertainment/20200823/BUUU2MDCJWNSO4AIDP2VYYX7DM/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823114248/https://hk.appledaily.com/entertainment/20200823/BUUU2MDCJWNSO4AIDP2VYYX7DM/ |archive-date=23 August 2020 |website=hk.appledaily.com |language=zh-hant |accessdate=23 August 2020}}) was a Hong Kong screenwriter, producer and filmmaker,{{cite news |date=2015 |title=Benny Chan |work=The New York Times |department=Movies & TV Dept. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/189017/Benny-Chan-Muk-Sing/filmography |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619223400/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/189017/Benny-Chan-Muk-Sing/filmography |archive-date=19 June 2015}} very well-known by his action movies full of brutal violence, absurd humor and outstanding choreographies.

He 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3185603/late-director-benny-chan-feted-hong-kong-film-awards-return|title=Late director Benny Chan feted as Hong Kong Film Awards return to full glory|author=Ng Kang-chung |work=South China Morning Post|date=17 July 2022|access-date=18 July 2022|language=en}}{{cite web|url= http://www.hkfaa.com/winnerlist.html|title= Hong Kong Film Awards List of The 40th Hong Kong Film Awards |date=17 July 2022|website=Hong Kong Film Awards|access-date=17 July 2022}}

Life and career

Born and raised in Kowloon, Benny Chan first accepted a job in 1981 at Rediffusion Television working in continuity.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Edmund |date=24 August 2020 |title=Benny Chan, one of the great action film directors |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3098652/benny-chan-action-film-director-behind-some-pop-culture |access-date=24 August 2020 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}} The following year, he joined TVB, becoming a production assistant to Johnnie To.{{Cite web |last=Cheang |first=Michael |date=24 August 2020 |title=HK director Benny Chan dead at 58, best known for Jackie Chan's 'New Police Story' |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/entertainment/2020/08/24/hk-director-benny-chan-dead-at-58-best-known-for-jackie-chan039s-039new-police-story039 |access-date=24 August 2020 |website=www.thestar.com.my}} 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). In addition to directing most of the episodes of The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain, he also wrote the scripts for all 40 episodes.{{Cite news |date=26 August 2020 |title=Benny Chan, leading film director in the Hong Kong action tradition – obituary |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2020/08/26/benny-chan-leading-film-director-hong-kong-action-tradition/ |access-date=27 August 2020 |issn=0307-1235}} 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.

Chan's debut as a film director began with A Moment of Romance (1990), which was produced by To.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Edmund |date=24 August 2020 |title=Remembering Benny Chan: action director's top five films |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3098533/new-police-story-director-benny-chans-five-best-movies-hong |access-date=24 August 2020 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}} 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,{{Cite web |date=23 August 2020 |title=New Police Story director Benny Chan Muk-sing dies at 58 |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/new-police-story-director-benny-chan-muksing-dies-at-58-104035038.html |access-date=24 August 2020 |website=sg.news.yahoo.com |language=en-SG}} Chan was nominated for Best Director at the 1997 Hong Kong Film Awards. The film also won awards for Best Film Editing at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and the 1996 Golden Horse Film Festival.{{Cite web |title=台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival |url=https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/awards/nw/?serach_type=award&sc=8&search_regist_year=1996&ins=30&r=en |access-date=24 August 2020 |website=www.goldenhorse.org.tw |language=zh-TW}} He also continued to work in television, directing episodes of the 1995 adaptation of Fist of Fury starring Donnie Yen.

Working in exclusively the film industry since 1998's Who Am I?, 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). He also directed Heroic Duo (2003), Divergence (2005), Connected (2008), and The White Storm (2013). 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.

Illness and death

In 2019, Chan was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer after feeling unwell while working on Raging Fire.{{Cite web |last=Yan |first=Lim Ruey |date=24 August 2020 |title=New Police Story director Benny Chan dies at 58 |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/new-police-story-director-benny-chan-dies-at-58 |access-date=24 August 2020 |website=The Straits Times |language=en}} During the last few months of his life, he was hospitalized at Prince of Wales Hospital.

On 23 August 2020, Chan died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.{{Cite web |title=Hong Kong director Benny Chan of New Police Story fame dies at 58 |url=https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/trending/hong-kong-director-benny-chan-new-police-story-dies-at-58-13046514 |access-date=24 August 2020 |website=CNA Lifestyle}}

Filmography

= Feature film =

class="wikitable"
rowspan="2" \| Year ! rowspan="2" \| Film ! colspan="3" \| Credits ! rowspan="2" \| Note(s)
width=65\| Director !width=65\| Screenwriter !width=65\| Producer
1987 \| Goodbye Darling \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{Partial\|Executive}} \| {{n/a}}
rowspan="2" \| 1988 \| Let's Rage the Gangland \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| Directorial debut
Fatal Love \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{Partial\|Executive}} \| {{n/a}}
1990 \| A Moment of Romance \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{n/a}}
1991 \| Son on the Run \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{n/a}}
1992 \| What a Hero! \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{n/a}}
rowspan="2" \| 1993 \| The Magic Crane \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{n/a}}
A Moment of Romance II \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{n/a}}
1994 \| Wounded Tracks \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{n/a}}
rowspan="2" \| 1995 \| Happy Hour \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| Cameo Produced by Peter Ho-sun Chan
Man Wanted \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
rowspan="2" \| 1996 \| Big Bullet \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
They Don't Care About Us \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
1998 \| Who Am I? \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{n/a}}
1999 \| Gen-X Cops \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
2000 \| Gen-Y Cops \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| Hong Kong-United States co-production
2001 \| Final Romance \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
2002 \| If U Care... \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
2003 \| Heroic Duo \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
2004 \| New Police Story \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
2005 \| Divergence \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
2006 \| Rob-B-Hood \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
2007 \| Invisible Target \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
2008 \| Connected \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
2010 \| City Under Siege \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| Also as an editor
2011 \| Shaolin \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
2013 \| The White Storm \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
2015 \| Little Big Master \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
2016 \| Call of Heroes \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
2017 \| Meow \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{n/a}}
2021 \| Raging Fire \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| Posthumous release Won{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Won{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
{{N/a}} \| The Trier of Fact \| {{No}} \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| Credited as the producer in the pre-production stage

class="wikitable"

rowspan="2" | Year

! rowspan="2" | Film

! colspan="3" | Credits

! rowspan="2" | Note(s)

width=65| Director

!width=65| Screenwriter

!width=65| Producer

1987

| Goodbye Darling

| {{No}}

| {{Partial|Executive}}

| {{n/a}}

rowspan="2" | 1988

| Let's Rage the Gangland

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| Directorial debut

Fatal Love

| {{No}}

| {{Partial|Executive}}

| {{n/a}}

1990

| A Moment of Romance

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{n/a}}

1991

| Son on the Run

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{n/a}}

1992

| What a Hero!

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{n/a}}

rowspan="2" | 1993

| The Magic Crane

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{n/a}}

A Moment of Romance II

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{n/a}}

1994

| Wounded Tracks

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{n/a}}

rowspan="2" | 1995

| Happy Hour

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| Cameo
Produced by Peter Ho-sun Chan

Man Wanted

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

rowspan="2" | 1996

| Big Bullet

| {{Yes}}

| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film

They Don't Care About Us

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

1998

| Who Am I?

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{n/a}}

1999

| Gen-X Cops

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

2000

| Gen-Y Cops

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| Hong Kong-United States co-production

2001

| Final Romance

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

2002

| If U Care...

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

2003

| Heroic Duo

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director

2004

| New Police Story

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film

2005

| Divergence

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

2006

| Rob-B-Hood

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

2007

| Invisible Target

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

2008

| Connected

| {{Yes}}

| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director

2010

| City Under Siege

| {{Yes}}

| Also as an editor

2011

| Shaolin

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

2013

| The White Storm

| {{Yes}}

| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film

2015

| Little Big Master

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| Nominated{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film

2016

| Call of Heroes

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

2017

| Meow

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| {{n/a}}

2021

| Raging Fire

| {{Yes}}

| Posthumous release
Won{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Won{{spaced en dash}}Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film

| The Trier of Fact

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

| Credited as the producer in the pre-production stage

= Television film =

Fist of Fury 精武門 (1995) – TV series, as a director

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable"
Year !Work !Awards !Category !Results
rowspan="2"\|1996 \|rowspan="2"\|Big Bullet \|rowspan="2"\|16th Hong Kong Film Awards \|Best Director \|{{nom}}
Best Film \|{{nom}}
2004 \|Heroic Duo \|23rd Hong Kong Film Awards \|rowspan="2"\|Best Director \|{{nom}}
rowspan="4"\|2005 \|rowspan="4"\|New Police Story \|rowspan="2"\|24th Hong Kong Film Awards \|{{nom}}
rowspan="3"\|Best Film \|{{nom}}
25th Golden Rooster Awards \|{{nom}}
28th Hundred Flowers Awards \|{{nom}}
2009 \|Connected \|28th Hong Kong Film Awards \|rowspan="2"\|Best Director \|{{nom}}
rowspan="2"\|2014 \|rowspan="2"\|The White Storm \|rowspan="2"\|33rd Hong Kong Film Awards \|{{nom}}
rowspan="2"\|Best Film \|{{nom}}
2016 \|Little Big Master \|35th Hong Kong Film Awards \|{{nom}}
rowspan="7"\|2021 \|rowspan="9"\|Raging Fire \|rowspan="2"\|13th Macau International Film Festival \|Best Director \|{{won}}
Best Film \|{{nom}}
rowspan="2"\|28th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards \|Best Director \|{{won}}
Film of Merit \|{{won}}
rowspan="2"\|Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild Awards \|Best Film \|{{won}}
Best Director \|{{nom}}
Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild Awards \|Best Recommended Screenplay \|{{won}}
rowspan="2"\|2022 \|rowspan="2"\|40th Hong Kong Film Awards \|Best Director \|{{won}}
Best Film \|{{won}}

class="wikitable"

Year

!Work

!Awards

!Category

!Results

rowspan="2"|1996

|rowspan="2"|Big Bullet

|rowspan="2"|16th Hong Kong Film Awards

|Best Director

|{{nom}}

Best Film