Johnnie To Kei-fung (born 22 April 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in the West he is best known for his Hong Kong action cinema, action and crime film, crime movies, which have earned him critical respect and a cult film, cult following (which include Quentin Tarantino, who once said that he really loves to watch To's gangster films). To's biggest international successes include ''Breaking News (2004 film), Breaking News'', ''Election (2005 film), Election'', ''Election 2'' (a.k.a. ''Triad Election''), ''Exiled'', ''Mad Detective'' and ''Drug War (film), Drug War''; these films have appeared in a number of international film festivals, been distributed theatrically in France and the United States, and been widely sold to foreign countries. His films, often made in collaboration with the same group of actors, screenwriters and cinematographers, frequently explore themes of friendship, Destiny, fate and the changing face of Hong Kong society. Sometimes described as "multifaceted and chameleonic" due to his ability to switch tones and genres between movies, To is nonetheless seen as having a auteur theory, consistent style, which involves mixing subdued realism and social observation with highly stylised visual and acting elements. To has cited King Hu as the director who has influenced his work the most. To heads the Hong Kong-based production company Milkyway Image with his frequent co-director Wai Ka-Fai.

Career

To began his career at age 17 as a messenger for the Hong Kong television studio TVB. From there To moved up the ladder, working as an executive producer and director for TV shows starting in 1973. In 1978, he shot his first theatrical feature, but continued working in television. In 1983, he directed and screen-wrote the critically acclaimed The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1983 TV series), The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a dramatised TV series base on The Legend of the Condor Heroes, the martial art novel of the same name by Louis Cha. While working as an assistant TV director during the Shaw Studios era he directed ''All About Ah-Long'' (1989), starring Chow Yun-fat. The film became one of the biggest box office hits in that year. In 1988, he co-directed ''The Big Heat (1988 film), The Big Heat'', his first action movie. The film was produced by Tsui Hark. The end of the 1980s also saw some of To's biggest commercial successes, the vast majority of which were comedies. His 1988 film ''The Eighth Happiness'' was that year's highest-grossing movie. In 1996, To and frequent collaborator Wai Ka-Fai formed Milkyway Image, a production house specialising in cost-efficient independent films made by To and Wai, as well their frequent collaborators from Law Wing-Cheong to scriptwriter Yau Nai-Hoi. In April 2011, it was announced that he would be a member of the jury for the main competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. His film ''Life Without Principle (film), Life Without Principle'' (2011) was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist. To is a member of the governing Council of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

Festivals and awards

Commercially successful in his native Hong Kong, To's films have regularly appeared at international festivals, most notably in Europe and North America. Six of To's films have been featured at the Cannes Film Festival: ''Breaking News (2004 film), Breaking News'' premiered as an Out-of-Competition midnight screening in 2004 Cannes Film Festival, 2004; ''Election (2005 film), Election'' was shown in Competition in 2005 Cannes Film Festival, 2005; its sequel, ''Election 2'' (a.k.a. ''Triad Election'') was screened in Out-of-Competition midnight screenings in 2006 Cannes Film Festival, 2006, and ''Triangle (2007 film), Triangle'' was screened in Out-of-Competition midnight screenings in 2007 Cannes Film Festival, 2007; ''Vengeance (2009 film), Vengeance'' competed for the prestigious Palme D'Or in 2009 Cannes Film Festival, 2009; ''Blind Detective'' was screened in Out-of-Competition midnight screenings in 2013 Cannes Film Festival, 2013. At the Berlin International Film Festival, ''Sparrow (2008 film), Sparrow'' was shown in Competition in 2008. At the Venice International Film Festival, ''Throw Down (film), Throw Down'' was screened Out-of-Competition in 61st Venice International Film Festival, 2004; ''Exiled'' was shown in Competition at the festival in 63rd Venice International Film Festival, 2006; ''Mad Detective'' was shown in Competition in 64th Venice International Film Festival, 2007; ''Life Without Principle (film), Life Without Principle'' was shown in Competition in 68th Venice International Film Festival, 2011. In North America, To's films have been consistently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. ''The Mission (1999 film), The Mission'', ''Fulltime Killer'', ''PTU (film), PTU'', ''Breaking News'', ''Throw Down'' and ''Mad Detective'' all screened between 1999 and 2007. In 2006, ''Election'', ''Election 2'', and ''Exiled'' were screened. In 2005, To received the "Time Machine Career Achievement Award" at the Festival de Cine de Sitges, Europe's most prestigious film festival specializing in genre films. To was also honoured as a "Filmmaker in Focus" of 2007 International Film Festival Rotterdam. In 2009, while ''Vengeance'' competed at Cannes, To was made an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, French Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture (France), Minister of Culture in recognition for his films. The annual Hong Kong International Film Festival held its 45th edition in April 2021. To directed the anthology series: "Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2021)." The other filmmakers directing the series include Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam (film director), Patrick Tam, Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-ping and Ringo Lam. The short files were shot entirely on 35mm film with each of them touches on a nostalgic and moving story set across different time periods, with every one acting as an ode to the city. igafencu.com. 2021-04-07

Filmography

Monographs

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The Rise Of Johnnie To – Marie Jost

References

External links

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a
LoveHKFilm.comInterview with Johnnie To at IFC.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:To, Johnnie 1955 births Living people Hong Kong film directors Hong Kong film producers Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Asian film producers