Ray Yeung Explained

Ray Yeung
Birth Name:Raymond Yeung Yaw-kae
Alma Mater:University of Canterbury (LLB)
Columbia University School of the Arts (MFA)
Known For:Suk Suk (2019)
Module:
Child:yes
T:楊曜愷

Ray Yeung[1] is a Hong Kong screenwriter and independent film director. After graduating with a law degree and practicing law for two years, Yeung found his job tedious and decided to switch career paths to become a director. Yeung's films frequently center around gay stories. He made his feature film debut with Cut Sleeve Boys (2006) in Britain and later shifted his focus back to Hong Kong, directing Suk Suk (2020) and All Shall Be Well (2024). Yeung is also the Chairman of the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, the longest running LGBT film festival in Asia. He revived the festival in 2000.[2]

Early life

Yeung grew up in Hong Kong. At the age 13, he was sent to an English boarding school outside of London.[3] He was the only Asian student at school and faced severe bullying.[4] Upon his family's request, he went on to read law at the University of Canterbury.[5] After graduating with a Bachelor of Laws, he began his career as a lawyer. He practiced law in the United Kingdom for two years before realizing that the profession was too tedious for him. He decided to switch career paths and become an advertising director. He enrolled at Columbia University School of the Arts to study filmmaking in 2008, and obtained a Master of Fine Arts in 2013.[6]

Career

Yeung wrote the plays Banana Skin and The Third Sex.[7] He made several shorts prior to his feature film debut.

Yeung made his feature film debut with Cut Sleeve Boys, a gay love story between two Chinese-British men, in 2005 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film won Best Feature at the Outfest Fusion Festival in Los Angeles and Best Actor for Chowee Leow at the Madrid Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

His second feature film Front Cover premiered at the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival. The story follows Ryan Fu, a gay Chinese American fashion stylist (Jake Choi), who rejects his ethnic heritage, and is assigned to style Ning (James Chen), an ostensibly heterosexual patriotic actor from Beijing. Front Cover won Best Screenplay at the FilmOut San Diego LGBT Film Festival, Jury Award for Best Domestic Feature at the Outflix Film Festival in Memphis and Audience Award at the Boston Asian American Film Festival.

Yeung had expressed interest in doing a Cantonese-language film set in Hong Kong, having grown up there until age 13.[8] Twilight's Kiss, or Suk Suk, is a film about a gay relationship between two elderly men in Hong Kong and was inspired by the book “Oral Histories of Older Gay Men in Hong Kong” by Hong Kong University Professor Travis S.K. Kong.[9] The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in 2019. The film had its European Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival 2020.[10] Suk Suk is his first Chinese-language film. It was awarded Best Film at the 2019 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award[11] and numerous other awards and nominations from 2019- 2022. He was also presented with the Artist of the Year for Film award from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2021.[12]

Style and influences

Yeung cites directors Yasujirō Ozu and Stanley Kwan as his influences.[13]

Filmography

!Year!Title!Notes
1995A Chink in the Armour[14]
1996A Bridge to the Past[15]
1998Yellow Fever
2006Cut Sleeve Boys
2008Doggy... Doggy...Doggy... Doggy...
2010Derek and LucasDerek and Lucas
2011EntwineEntwine
2012Paper Wrap Fire Paper Wrap Fire
2015Front Cover
2019Suk Suk (Twilight's Kiss)
2024All Shall Be Well[16]

Awards and nominations

!Year!Award!Category!Work!Result!Notes
201956th Golden Horse AwardsBest Original ScreenplayTwilight's Kiss (Suk Suk)[17]
Best Feature FilmBest Feature Film
2020Best Feature FilmBest Feature Film [18]
39th Hong Kong Film AwardsBest Director[19]
Best Screenplay
Hong Kong Screenwriters’ Guild AwardsBest Screenplay[20]
Best Role in a ScreenplayBest Director
Hong Kong Film Critics Society AwardBest Screenplay[21]
Best Director Best Director
Best Film Best Film [22]
Best ScreenplayBest Picture
Best Director Best Screenplay
Best PictureBest Director
Renaissance AwardsBest DramaBest Drama[23]
Kongest Film AwardsBest DramaBest Film
To Ten Chinese Films Festival Youth Film Handbook: Outstanding Film Youth Film Handbook: Outstanding Film [24]
Out on Film

Atlanta's LGBT Film Festival

Jury Award: Best International Film Jury Award: Best International Film [25]
Audience Award: Best International Film Audience Award: Best International Film
Florence Queer Film Festival Best Long Feature Film Best Long Feature Film
Festival International du Film Independent de BordeauxSpecial Mention: Best Feature FilmSpecial Mention: Best International Feature Film
GAZE Film Festival DublinAudience Award: Best FeatureAudience Award: Best Feature
Seoul International Pride Film FestivalBest Asian FeatureBest Asian Feature
Asian American International Film FestivalAudience Choice Award: Best Narrative FilmAudience Choice Award: Best Narrative Film
Tel Aviv International LGBT Film FestivalHonorable Mention: Best FeatureHonorable Mention: Best Feature
Brussels International Film Festival Grand Prix du Festival Award
Chicago International Film Festival Gold Q- Hugo Award
2021Zinegoak Festival, Bilbao SpainSpecial Mention: Best Feature FilmSpecial Mention: Best Feature Film [26]
La Mostra Internacional de Cinema de Gai i Lesbià FIRE!Audience Award: Best FeatureAudience Award: Best Feature
LGBT Film Fest of the Niemeyer Center, SpainJury Award: Best Feature FilmJury Award: Best Feature Film
Santo Domingo OutFest - Festival Internacional de Cine GLBTJury Award: Best FilmJury Award: Best Film [27]
Jury Award: Best ScreenplayJury Award: Best Screenplay
2022Queerties Awards 2022Best Indie MovieBest Indie Movie
GLAAD Media Awards 2022Outstanding Feature - Limited Release[28]
2024Teddy Award 2024 Best Feature FilmAll Shall BeWellWon[29]
Berlinale Panorama Audience AwardWon[30]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chow. Vivienne. 7 April 2006. Director of film on gay Chinese takes aim at British stereotypes. 24 August 2021. South China Morning Post. en. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824181358/https://www.scmp.com/article/543810/director-film-gay-chinese-takes-aim-british-stereotypes. live.
  2. Web site: Law. Carissa. 11 November 2020. The HK Filmmaker Fighting for LGBT+Representation. 24 August 2021. Hive Life Magazine. en-GB. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824220406/https://hivelife.com/ray-yeung-hk-lgbt-representation/. live.
  3. Web site: Dee. Garrett. 28 September 2016. Interview: Front Cover Director Ray Yeung. 24 August 2021. New Bloom Magazine. en-US. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824220401/https://newbloommag.net/2016/09/28/front-cover-director-interview/. live.
  4. Web site: 譜寫香港在地酷兒羅曼史：專訪《叔·叔》導演楊曜愷與其他 . 9 March 2020 . Funscreen Weekly . 陳宏瑋 . 30 March 2024 . zh . 20 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210420130027/http://www.funscreen.com.tw/feature.asp?FE_NO=1867 . live .
  5. Web site: 專訪《叔．叔》導演楊曜愷： 為老年同志打開一道門 . 5 May 2020 . . 30 March 2024 . zh.
  6. Web site: Van Kann. Felix. 31 July 2020. 'Twilight's Kiss,' a Film by Alumnus Ray Yeung '13 Distributed by Strand Releasing. 24 August 2021. Columbia - School of the Arts. en. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824180457/https://arts.columbia.edu/news/twilights-kiss-film-alumnus-ray-yeung-%E2%80%9913-distributed-strand-releasing. live.
  7. Web site: 20 January 1994. Skins a slick parody of HK. 24 August 2021. South China Morning Post. en. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824180447/https://www.scmp.com/article/59840/skins-slick-parody-hk. live.
  8. Web site: Stojiljković. Marko. 28 March 2020. Interview with the director Ray Yeung and the actors Tai-Bo, Ben Yuen and Patra Au. 24 August 2021. Asian Movie Pulse. en-US. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824220401/https://asianmoviepulse.com/2020/03/interview-with-the-director-ray-yeung-and-the-actors-tai-bo-ben-yuen-and-patra-au/. live.
  9. Why did Hong Kong’s Ray Yeung direct the new LGBT movie, Suk Suk?. 22 April 2020. SCMP Style. YouTube video. en. South China Morning Post. 24 August 2021. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824220448/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYE8aVwcTuo. live.
  10. Web site: Suk Suk - Panorama 2020 . 24 November 2023 . www.berlinale.de . en . 24 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231124044640/https://www.berlinale.de/en/2020/programme/202005258.html . live .
  11. News: Lee. Edmund. 20 January 2020. Gay drama Suk Suk named 2019's best Hong Kong film by critics. en. South China Morning Post. 24 August 2021. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824180448/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3046876/young-directors-honoured-2019-hong-kong-film-critics. live.
  12. Web site: The 15th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards Commends Outstanding Artists and Organisations Hong Kong Arts Development Council 香港藝術發展局 . 2 January 2023 . www.hkadc.org.hk . en-hk . 20 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320040429/https://www.hkadc.org.hk/en/whats-on . live .
  13. Web site: Kwong. Wilson. 10 March 2020. Berlinale 2020: Interview With SUK SUK Director Ray Yeung. 24 August 2021. Film Inquiry. en-US. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824220410/https://www.filminquiry.com/interview-ray-yeung/. live.
  14. Web site: Archived copy . 2 January 2023 . 2 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102072147/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c8bdb500cf57d71ca577132/t/5e949f6c51cce06b0fee7a34/1586798445867/2020+CV+T+Hoser+.pdf . live .
  15. Web site: Authors . 2 January 2023 . Tongzhi Literary Group . en . 2 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102072148/http://www.tlghk.org/authors.html . live .
  16. Web site: The Berlinale announces the first batch of Panorama and Forum titles . Vladan . Petkovic . 14 December 2023 . 16 December 2023 . . en . 16 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231216010925/https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/453748/ . live .
  17. Web site: 陳穎思 . 1 October 2019 . 【金馬獎2019】袁富華升呢挑戰影帝 僅三部港產片入圍 . 2 January 2023 . 香港01 . zh-HK . 2 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102072156/https://www.hk01.com/%E9%9B%BB%E5%BD%B1/381319/%E9%87%91%E9%A6%AC%E7%8D%8E2019-%E8%A2%81%E5%AF%8C%E8%8F%AF%E5%8D%87%E5%91%A2%E6%8C%91%E6%88%B0%E5%BD%B1%E5%B8%9D-%E5%83%85%E4%B8%89%E9%83%A8%E6%B8%AF%E7%94%A2%E7%89%87%E5%85%A5%E5%9C%8D . live .
  18. Web site: TEDDY AWARD 2020 Programme Magazine by TEDDY AWARD, Queer Film Award of Berlin International Film Festival - Issuu . 2 January 2023 . issuu.com . en . 2 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102072146/https://issuu.com/teddyaward/docs/programm_teddy_2020_02_06_low_res_simple . live .
  19. Web site: 12 February 2020 . Better Days, Fagara lead Hong Kong Film Awards nominations . 2 January 2023 . South China Morning Post . en . 2 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102072154/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3050281/hong-kong-film-awards-2020-nominations-better-days-fagara . live .
  20. Web site: Ray Yeung honoured with two awards by HK Screenwriters Guild . 2 January 2023 . sg.style.yahoo.com . en-SG . 2 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102072157/https://sg.style.yahoo.com/ray-yeung-honoured-two-awards-061000880.html . live .
  21. Web site: Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards (2020) . 2 January 2023 . IMDb . 17 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221117142131/https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000330/2020/1/ . live .
  22. Web site: 20 January 2020 . Gay drama Suk Suk named 2019's best Hong Kong film by critics . 2 January 2023 . South China Morning Post . en . 6 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206011951/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3046876/young-directors-honoured-2019-hong-kong-film-critics . live .
  23. Web site: Renaissance Foundation - Awards 2020 . 2 January 2023 . rfhk.org.hk . 2 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102072157/http://rfhk.org.hk/en/index.php/awards/awards-2020 . live .
  24. Web site: To Ten Chinese Films Festival (2020) . 2 January 2023 . IMDb . 17 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221117142111/https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0006311/2020/1/ . live .
  25. Web site: Culture . Out on Film . Out On Film Announces 2020 Jury and Audience Awards . 2 January 2023 . Georgia Voice - Gay & LGBT Atlanta News . en-US . 16 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201016152559/https://thegavoice.com/today-in-gay-atlanta/out-on-film-announces-2020-jury-and-audience-awards/ . live .
  26. Web site: zinegoak historico . 2 January 2023 . en . 2 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102072205/http://zinegoak.com/en/historico/ . live .
  27. Web site: Ganadores del Santo Domingo OutFest 2021, Felicidades. By Santo Domingo OutFest - Festival Internacional de Cine GLBT Facebook . 2 January 2023 . www.facebook.com . en . 2 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102072155/https://www.facebook.com/sdqoutfest/videos/ganadores-del-santo-domingo-outfest-2021-felicidades/393699272503486/ . live .
  28. Web site: 15 September 2021 . The Nominees for the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards . 2 January 2023 . GLAAD . en . 9 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220309141800/https://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/33/nominees . live .
  29. Web site: ALL SHALL BE WELL Wins The Teddy Award! - Films Boutique . 6 April 2024 . filmsboutique.com . en-US.
  30. Web site: The Panorama Audience Awards . 6 April 2024 . www.berlinale.de . en.

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