Chan Kin-long

Kelvin Chan Kin-long (; born 8 November 1990) is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker. Initially working in the advertising industry, he was discovered by filmmaker Fruit Chan and made his debut as Glu-stick in Chan's ''The Midnight After'' (2014). He continued to act in minor roles before making his directorial debut with '' Hand Rolled Cigarette'' (2020), winning Best New Director in the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards. He also directed the ViuTV series ''Left On Read'' (2023), which won a People's Choice Television Award, and starred as Paul in the ViuTV series '' Loneliness Can Kill'' (2020) and as Dickson in the film ''Say I Do To Me'' (2023).

Early life and education

Chan was born on 8 November 1990 in Hong Kong. He described his family's situation as "grassroots", which influenced the style of his future works. He studied at Ying Wa College, where he was classmates with fellow filmmaker Jun Li and the two became friends while participating in the drama club and writing plays together. He initially planned to apply to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, aspiring to become a stage actor, but missed the application deadline, and ultimately entered City University of Hong Kong to study creative media. During university, he shifted his passion from theatre to film after discovering the works of Fruit Chan, Johnnie To, and Japan's Akira Kurosawa and Takeshi Kitano, stating he was "heavily inspired by old-school Japanese cinema". He produced three short films, including ''Story of Ashin'', ''Seven Days at Mino'', and ''1349 Road to Devil'', and participated in several amateur performances during his university years. After graduation, he worked at an advertising production house.

Career

In 2013, Chan was cast by filmmaker Fruit Chan in his sci-fi film ''The Midnight After'' as the gangster Glu-stick. The film premiered at the 64th Berlin Film Festival and received eight Hong Kong Film Awards nominations, which Chan described as "lucky" for debuting with a blockbuster. He also starred in the short film ''I Can't Live Without A Dream'', playing a terminal cancer patient, and won Best Actor at the the following year. Chan continued to secure minor roles in films, including '' Port of Call'' and ''Wild City'', while also working as a production assistant. He received a co-starring role in the Fantastic Television romance series ', and appeared as the younger version of a gangster played by Deep Ng in the ViuTV sci-fi series '. In 2018, Chan played a smuggler in the political film ', and appeared as a gangster in the Chinese drama film '' The Crossing''. He was originally cast in the lead role as a smuggler, but the role was ultimately filled by debut actor . He starred in a main role in the ViuTV anthology series ' the following year.

In 2020, Chan made his directorial debut with the crime drama film '' Hand Rolled Cigarette''. He applied for the First Feature Film Initiative twice, winning in his second attempt with this project, and production began in 2017. Chan won Best New Director in the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards and received a nomination for Best New Director in the 57th Golden Horse Awards for the film. He also landed a lead role as Paul in the ViuTV drama series '' Loneliness Can Kill'', and played the younger version of Bowie Lam in '. In 2023, Chan made his television directorial debut with the ViuTV thriller series '. The series was adapted from a web novel written by his childhood friend Ho Siu-hong, who also served as the screenwriter, and it won Best Cinematography at the . Chan starred as the male lead Dickson, a social media influencer, in Kiwi Chow's drama film ' in the same year, and secured another lead role as Diga Chan in the 2024 ViuTV drama series '.

Personal life

Chan is a smoker. He began dating singer Jace Chan in 2020, but they broke up in October 2023.

Filmography

As director

As actor

Films

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{Best New Director HKFA
1990 births
Living people
21st-century Hong Kong actors
Hong Kong film actors
Hong Kong television actors
Hong Kong film directors
Alumni of the City University of Hong Kong
Alumni of Ying Wa College