Peter Chan's film Dearest is based on a true story of child abduction

Back in 1998, Peter Chan Ho-sun was named one of trade paper Variety's 10 directors to watch - largely on the strength of his popular tale Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1996). The film won nine Hong Kong Film Awards (including best director for Chan, and best picture), but by the time of the list, he had already achieved success locally with films such as He's a Woman, She's a Man (1994) and the sequel Who's the Woman, Who's the Man (1997).

Chan later went to the US to direct 1999's The Love Letter starring Kate Capshaw for DreamWorks SKG. The film didn't exactly set Hollywood alight.

"I would try not to work there again, unless I can absolutely call the shots," he tells me, when we met at this year's Venice Film Festival, where his latest film Dearest - a mainly Putonghua production - had its world premiere.

In the intervening years, Chan has proved that Variety prediction correct. Last year, his American Dreams in China was one of the 10 highest grossing films of the year on the mainland, with box office takings of 538 million yuan (HK$679 million). At this year's Busan International Film Festival, he was presented with the Star of Asia Special Achievement Award.

But the 52-year-old Chan remains less well known in the West than, say, Wong Kar-wai and Ang Lee. Perhaps Dearest - which is making the film festival rounds, and has already been released on the mainland - will change that, as it feels so universal.