Tze Chun (born Tze-ngo Chun ) is an American film and TV producer, director, writer, and comic book publisher. He was born in Chicago and raised outside of Boston, and graduated from

Milton Academy Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective, coeducational, University-preparatory school, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lowe ...

in 1998. He received his bachelor's degree in film studies at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

Films

Feature films

Children of Invention

His debut feature film, ''

Children of Invention ''Children of Invention'' is an American independent feature film written and directed by Tze Chun. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, screened at more than 50 film festivals, and won 17 festival awards including 8 Grand Jury or Best ...

'', premiered at the

2009 Sundance Film Festival The 2009 Sundance Film Festival was held during January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. Award winners *Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - '' We Live in Public'' *Grand Jury Prize ...

, screened at over 50 film festivals, won 17 festival awards including 8 Grand Jury or Best Narrative Feature prize including "Best Narrative Feature" at the

Newport International Film Festival Newport International Film Festival was an annual film festival in Newport, Rhode Island, established in 1998. The Newport Film Festival was generally held the first week in June and featured various international films at several local cinemas. ...

, the Independent Film Festival Boston, the

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications (VC). It was established in 1983 by Linda Mabalot as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific Ameri ...

(where the cast won a Special Jury Prize in New Talent to Watch in Acting), the

San Diego Asian Film Festival The San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) is an annual event organized by Pacific Arts Movement (formerly the San Diego Asian Film Foundation) that takes place every November in San Diego, California. Background SDAFF is the flagship event for t ...

, and the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival, as well as "Emerging Filmmaker Awards" from the

Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is h ...

and the

DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival The DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival is an annual film festival that screens feature films and short films. It is produced by Asian Pacific American Film, Inc., a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code ...

. The film was also released theatrically in 8 cities, on DVD, and on VOD in 2010. The film was also praised by critics, with

Manohla Dargis Manohla June Dargis () is an American film critic. She is one of the chief film critics for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Career Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times' ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' saying that the film was a "fine feature debut...while the politics are there, you might be too busy choking back tears to notice" and the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' also called it "wonderful...absorbing, deftly played", ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "urgent, artful...austerely poetic" and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...

''s Claudia Puig said, "I loved this movie. I can't remember when I have loved a movie quite as much as this one."

Cold Comes the Night

In 2012, Chun wrapped principal photography on ''

Cold Comes the Night ''Cold Comes the Night'' is a 2013 American crime thriller film directed by Tze Chun, who co-wrote the script with Oz Perkins and Nick Simon. It was released on September 20, 2013, in the UK and on January 10, 2014 in the United States. The film s ...

'' (formerly "Eye of Winter"), which he co-wrote with

Oz Perkins Osgood Robert "Oz" Perkins II (born February 2, 1974) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Early life Perkins was born in Manhattan, New York, the elder son of actor Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) and phot ...

and

Nick Simon Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Places ...

. The film stars

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...

(''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White ( Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited ...

''),

Alice Eve Alice Sophia Eve (born ) is a British actress. Her movie career includes roles in '' She's Out of My League'', ''Men in Black 3'', ''Star Trek Into Darkness'', and ''Before We Go''. She has had recurring roles on the TV series '' Entourage'' and ...

(''

Star Trek Into Darkness ''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the sequel to the ...

''),

Logan Marshall-Green Logan Marshall-Green (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is known for his roles in the television series '' 24'', '' The O.C.'', '' Traveler'', '' Dark Blue'' and '' Quarry'', as well as his roles in the films '' Devil ...

(''

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, know ...

''),

Ursula Parker Ursula Parker (born July 28, 2003) is an American actress and violinist best known for her role as Jane in the television series ''Louie''. She had prominent roles in the 2015 film '' Take Me to the River'' and the 2016 film ''Spectral ''Spe ...

, and

Leo Fitzpatrick Leonardo Aurellio Randy Fitzpatrick is an American actor and co-director of the Marlborough Chelsea gallery. He is best known as Telly in ''Kids'' (1995) and Johnny Weeks in ''The Wire'' (2002–2004). Career He was discovered at age 14 by d ...

. Frequent producer and collaborator

Mynette Louie Mynette Louie is an American film producer of Chinese descent. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy and Critics Choice Award in 2018 for HBO's ''The Tale'', won the 2015 Independent Spirit Awards John Cassavetes Award for '' Land Ho!'', and won ...

produced the film.

Short films

Chun has also directed numerous short films, including Windowbreaker, a selection of the

2007 Sundance Film Festival The 2007 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18 until January 28, 2007, in Park City, Utah with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah and Ogden, Utah. It was the 23-rd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was '' Chica ...

. Other short films directed by Chun include the World War II set ''Back to the Front'' (2006), ''Document'' (2006), about a writer whose girlfriend goes into a coma, ''Cold Feet, Wet Dreams, and the Kitchen Sink'' (2007), and a sci-fi short entitled ''Silver Sling'' (2010), set in a polarized economy of the near future where corporations offer subsidies to their high-ranking female employees to pay for chemically accelerated surrogate births.

Television work and writing

Cashmere Mafia

Chun was also one of the staff writers for the ABC television series ''

Cashmere Mafia ''Cashmere Mafia'' is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on ABC from January 6, 2008 to February 20, 2008. The series was created by Kevin Wade, who also served as executive producer alongside Darren Star, Gail Katz, Jeff Rake a ...

'', starring

Lucy Liu Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress. Her accolades include winning a Critics' Choice Television Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Seoul International Drama Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award. Liu has sta ...

. Chun was hired for the show based on his and writing partner Mike Weiss' original pilot, ''Getting in Good'', a tongue-in-cheek drama set in the highly competitive world of Manhattan private school admissions. Chun also recently sold a spec pilot to

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

that

Dan Jinks Dan Jinks is an American film and television producer. In February 2010, Jinks launched his own film and television production company, the Dan Jinks Company.

is currently producing.

Once Upon a Time

Chun was a staff writer for the ABC television series ''

Once Upon a Time (TV series) ''Once Upon a Time'' is an American fantasy Adventure fiction, adventure Drama (film and television), drama television series that aired for seven seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 23, 2011, to May 18, 2018. The action ...

''. He wrote, alongside of Scott Nimerfro, episodes 11 ''

Shattered Sight "Shattered Sight" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the American fantasy drama series '' Once Upon a Time'', which aired on December 7, 2014. In this episode Emma Swan, Elsa, and Anna try to stop the Snow Queen, while flashbacks sh ...

'' and 17 ''

Heart of Gold (Once Upon a Time) "Heart of Gold" is the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of the American fantasy drama series '' Once Upon a Time'', which aired on April 12, 2015. In this episode, Emma Swan must deal with the truth about her parents' past with Maleficen ...

'' of the Fourth Season, and Episodes 6 ''

The Bear and the Bow "The Bear and the Bow" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the American fantasy drama series '' Once Upon a Time'', which aired on November 1, 2015. In this episode, a chance encounter with Merlin, David, Hook, and Belle in Camelot g ...

'' (with

Andrew Chambliss Andrew Chambliss is an American television writer and producer. He is well known for working on series such as ''Dollhouse'', ''The Vampire Diaries'', and was an executive producer on ''Once Upon a Time''. He is currently the executive produce ...

), 10 ''

Broken Heart (Once Upon a Time) "Broken Heart" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the American fantasy drama series ''Once Upon a Time'', which aired on November 29, 2015. In this episode, Hook challenges Mr. Gold to a sword fight on the Jolly Roger, while Emma Swan an ...

'' and 16 ''

Our Decay "Our Decay" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the American fantasy drama series ''Once Upon a Time'', which aired on April 3, 2016. In this episode, Belle, Zelena, and Baby Hood end up in the Underworld. In flashbacks, Hades and Zel ...

'' (both with Diana Hogan) for Season Five.

Gotham

Chun was the Executive Story Editor for Season Three of the FOX television series ''

Gotham (TV series) ''Gotham'' is an American superhero crime drama television series developed by Bruno Heller, produced by Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from the Batman mythos in comic books published by DC Comics. The series originally aire ...

'' and wrote episodes 8 ''

Blood Rush "Blood Rush" is the eighth episode of the third season, and 52nd episode overall from the Fox series '' Gotham''. The episode was written by Tze Chun and directed by Rob Bailey. It was first broadcast on November 7, 2016. In the episode, Barnes ...

'' and 18 '' Light the Wick''. Chun was the Co-Producer/Writer for Season Four of ''

'' and wrote episodes 5 ''

The Blade's Path "The Blade's Path" is the fifth episode of the fourth season and 71st episode overall from the Fox series '' Gotham''. The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. The episode was written by Tze Ch ...

'', 13 '' A Beautiful Darkness'' and 21 '' One Bad Day''. Chun was the Supervising Producer/Writer for Season Five of ''

'' and wrote three episodes '' Penguin, Our Hero'', ''

Ace Chemicals This page list the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites * the Arrowcave – The former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. * Avernus Cemetery – A burial ground located in Central City for ...

'', and '' They Did What?''.

Little America

Chun was the Director/Writer for Season One episode 6 "The Grand Prize Expo Winners" of

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

's ''

Little America (TV series) ''Little America'' is an American anthology comedy streaming television series produced for Apple TV+. It premiered on January 17, 2020. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on December 9, 2022. Premise ''Little America' ...

'', an American anthology television series.

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai

Chun is an executive producer and writer for '' Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai'' animated series at

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netwo ...

I'm a Virgo

It was reported in Variety that Amazon has given a series order to “I’m a Virgo” from

Boots Riley Raymond Lawrence "Boots" Riley (born April 1, 1971), is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, rapper, and communist activist. He is the lead vocalist of The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. He made his feature-film directorial ...

with

Jharrel Jerome Jharrel Jerome (born October 9, 1997) is an American actor and rapper who is best known for appearing in Barry Jenkins's acclaimed drama film ''Moonlight'' (2016), and for portraying Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries '' When They S ...

attached to star. Riley wrote the series and will also direct. He serves as executive producer along with Michael Ellenberg, Tze Chun, and Jerome.

Comic work

Chun is a co-founder and publisher for

TKO Studios TKO Studios is an American comics publisher founded by Tze Chun and Salvatore Simeone in 2017.George Gustines George Gene Gustines (born 1971) is a journalist who is the managing editor of ''T'', a magazine of '' The New York Times''. As a journalist, he has written for the "New Jersey", Circuits (technology), "Escapes", "The City", "Television" and "Ar ...

of ''

'' wrote that TKO Studios is "A New Comics Publisher Aims to Shake Things Up." Graeme McMillan of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' reported that "TKO Studios Plans to Change How Readers Buy Comics."

Accolades

In 2007, Chun was named one of the "25 New Faces of Independent Film" by

Filmmaker Magazine ''Filmmaker'' is a quarterly publication magazine covering issues relating to independent film. The magazine was founded in 1992 by Karol Martesko-Fenster, Scott Macaulay and Holly Willis. The magazine is now published by the IFP (Independent Fi ...

. In 2009, Chun received the Puma Emerging Filmmaker Award at the 2009

and the George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker Award at the

. He also received the "Visionary Award" from the Austin Asian American Film Festival. In 2011, Chun was named as a

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

(USA) Fellow, specifically a USA

Rockefeller fellow The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carnegi ...

Visual art

Chun is also a painter and visual artist. He has commissioned private portraits in cities such as New York and Los Angeles, is represented by CVZContemporary Gallery in

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

, and also painted the original artwork for the poster of the Oscar nominated feature film starring

Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has receive ...

, ''

Half Nelson A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...

'' directed by

Ryan Fleck Anna Boden and Ryan K. Fleck are an American filmmaking duo. They are best known for their collaborations on the films ''Half Nelson'', '' Sugar'', '' It's Kind of a Funny Story'', '' Mississippi Grind'' and '' Captain Marvel''. Early life ...

, as well as the children's book drawings that are also used in the film. During

Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

2010 in San Diego, it was announced that

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series ''The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was no ...

's groundbreaking graphic novel

A Contract With God ''A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories'' is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Will Eisner published in 1978. The book's short story cycle revolves around poor Jewish characters who live in a tenement in New York City. Eisne ...

will be adapted into a feature film, with Chun directing one of the story's four chapters.A Contract With God: the movie
Eisnershpritz News Archive. July 2010.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chun, Tze-Ngo American male screenwriters American film directors of Chinese descent American writers of Chinese descent Writers from Boston 1980 births Living people Milton Academy alumni Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from Massachusetts Columbia College (New York) alumni

Films

Feature films

Children of Invention

Cold Comes the Night

Short films

Television work and writing

Cashmere Mafia

Once Upon a Time

Gotham

Little America

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai

I'm a Virgo

Comic work

Accolades

Visual art

References

Further reading

External links