Chan's direct path to the top

BOY Wonder? You wouldn't think it to look at director Peter Chan Ho-sun. But appearances can be deceptive. No one thought Clark Kent was Superman either. But at 32, and with only a handful of films to his name, Chan is already making waves as one of a new breed of daring, young film-makers who are taking big risks, and weaving simple stories into successful commercial ventures. There is something quite ordinary about Chan. But pay enough attention and the qualities become quite obvious: the down-to-earth ideals, the earnestness and the simplicity - just like his movies. Being ordinary and keeping it simple have been responsible for adding appeal to the baby-faced director's work. Despite being in the world of show business, Chan does not take to the glamour. Which may seem contradictory, since his biggest success to date is about the flashy world of entertainment. He's a Woman, She's a Man - about the muddled love triangle between a singer (Carina Lau Kar-ling), her producer (Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing) and his new prodigy (Anita Yuen Wing-yee) - is a leading contender for the 14th Hong Kong Film Awards, which will be announced on April 23. He's a Woman, She's a Man, which already took the Best Director and Best Film awards from the Hong Kong Directors' Guild, goes to the awards with 11 nominations, including Best Actor and Best Actress. Chan is pleasantly surprised by the nominations, but does not put much hope in the film sweeping the awards. 'I never thought it would do that well because everything was done in a rush,' Chan said. 'We didn't even have time to judge or analyse the whole thing before it was released. We were quite nervous about how it would go. 'But in the end, I think the whole show was quite well-paced. There was a good balance between the drama and the comedy, and technically it was better than my previous films.' Chan is brutally honest in pointing out that his film could hardly be considered 'art'. 'Award juries seldom concentrate on movies of this genre. In a lot of aspects, they will consider the art value. Then, of course, we're not as arty as the others,' he added. 'But the fact that the film has 11 nominations means that the industry recognises it. To me, that already means we have won. I don't even want to think about the film awards. After the Directors' Guild [awards], everything else is a bonus. Chan, who is one of six partners in up-and-coming The United Filmmakers' Organisation (UFO) Concept Ltd, makes no apologies for the fact that his films are commercial. 'Movie-making is a business. You can only be an artist in a commercially viable situation,' he said. 'Sure, you have to take risks, but only if they're calculated ones.' Chan's calculations are backed by shrewd business acumen and years of experience. He had a modest start in 1987 as assistant director and translator for John A Better Tomorrow Woo, before becoming producer Chua Lam's production manager, during which time he worked on several Jackie Chan films including Armour of God and The Protector. He also tried his hand at administrative and film distribution work, building up a credible network of connections, before becoming an independent producer, responsible for several modestly successful ventures such as News Attack and Curry and Pepper. But in 1991, Chan was finally ready to make his directorial debut, on the poignant story of Alan & Eric, Between Hello & Goodbye. The movie caused an upset when Eric Tsang Chi-wai pulled in the Best Actor award at the 11th Hong Kong Film Awards. It was around that time that Chan got together with Tsang and another director, Claudie Chung; together they decided they wanted out from the bureaucracy of big corporations, and set up UFO. With the collected expertise and know-how that the three friends had gathered through the years, Chan said they were quite confident that they could analyse the market and 'see which niche [we] could fill'. Today, with Lee Chi-ngai, Jacob Cheung Chi-leung and Yuen Sai-sang in the fold as well, UFO has built up a credible reputation for its consistency and daring. 'We dare because we have faith in our own abilities,' said Chan. 'In other productions, the investors are usually not the film-makers and would naturally be hesitant about investing more money in something totally dependent on someone else's ability. 'Although we don't put in our own money, we use advances so if we make a loss, we have to bear the costs as well. For He's a Woman, She's a Man, the investment ratio was actually totally out of proportion.' The film was made on a budget of $18 million, and Chan knew that they had to make at least $20 million at the box office to break even. 'In Hong Kong, no one takes that kind of a risk because it takes a runaway success for $20 million box office takings. It was a big risk.' Chan figures he has been lucky to be able to do things of his choosing and have them turn out 'commercially viable'. 'A lot of people think we give up our own values to make movies for the audience. But it's not the case. The truth is I love the films I make. Perhaps I am fortunate that the things I like are also quite commercial, so there is no conflict,' he said. The entertainment pages are edited by Winnie Chung, tel: 2565-2216, fax: 2565-2485