Clara Law

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Clara Law
Born (1957-05-29) 29 May 1957 (age 66)
Macau
OccupationFilm director

Clara Law Cheuk-yiu (traditional Chinese: 羅卓瑤; simplified Chinese: 罗卓瑶; pinyin: Luó Zhuóyáo; Jyutping: lo4 coek3 jiu4, born 29 May 1957 in Macau) is a Hong Kong Second Wave film director who currently resides in Australia.[1][2][3]

Early life[edit]

Clara Law was born on 29 May 1957 in Macau.[4] At the age of 10 she moved to Hong Kong. Law studied at the University of Hong Kong and graduated with a degree in English Literature. In 1978 she joined Radio Television Hong Kong as an assistant producer and director. During her time there she tried many aspects of television from screenwriting to directing. Between 1978 and 1981 she directed twelve drama programs for the television channel. In 1982 she began studying film direction and writing at the National Film and Television School in England.[5] She won the Silver Plaque Award at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1985 for her graduation film They Say the Moon is Fuller Here.[6]

Career[edit]

1985–1994[edit]

In 1985 she returned to Hong Kong and began development on her first long feature film The Other Half and the Other Half, which was released in 1988.[7][8] Since her return to Hong Kong she has worked with Eddie Fong on all of her projects. In 1989 she created her second film The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus. The film was screened at the Toronto Film Festival and was released commercially in the US. A year later, she created Farewell China and was nominated for the Golden Horse Award for Best Director and the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director. She directed Fruit Punch in 1991, which was a commercial film produced by a large Hong Kong film studio. In 1992 she directed and produced Autumn Moon. The film was a hit in the film festival circuit. It won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival in 1992, as well as the European Art Theatres Association Best Picture Award and the Youth Special Jury Award in Switzerland and the Best Screenplay in Valencia (1994). It was also awarded at the Belgium and Portugal film festivals. Autumn Moon was selected for official screenings at the New York Film Festival as well as in Sundance, Toronto, London, Rotterdam, Gothenburg, Thessaloniki, Nantes, San Francisco, Créteil, Dublin, Puerto Rico, Seattle, Jerusalem, New Delhi, Wellington, Midnight Sun Finland, Rio de Janeiro, Reykjavik, Ghent, Munich, Ankara, Sydney and Melbourne. In 1993 she released Temptation of a Monk. The film is an adaptation of a novella by Lillian Lee. The film was shot entirely on location in the north and northwestern part of China. The film was selected for competition at the 50th Venice International Film Festival. It won the Grand Prix at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival in France in 1994. The film was also selected for official screenings at the Toronto, Sundance, Rotterdam and Brisbane film festivals, and as the closing film at the L.A. Film Festival. In 1994, Law finished a segment of the movie Erotique called Wonton Soup. Later that year she and Eddie Fong moved to Australia.[9]

1994 – present[edit]

She moved to Australia with Eddie Fong in 1994. The pair's first film after their move to Australia is Floating Life, which was completed in 1996. The film won the Silver Leopard Award at the Locarno Film Festival in 1996. It also won the Grand Prix Asturias and Best Director at the Gijón International Film Festival in Spain, as well as the Grand Prix at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival in France. It also received three nominations at the Australian Film Institute Awards including Best Achievement in Direction and Best Original Screenplay, as well as nine nominations at the Taipei Golden Horse Awards, including Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Floating Life was also Australia's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 69th Academy Awards (1997). The film was also screened at the Sydney, Melbourne, London, Rotterdam, Hof, Stockholm, Toronto and Hawaii film festivals. The Goddess of 1967, shot on location in the outback of Australia and Tokyo, was completed in 2000. It was in competition at the Venice film festival in 2000 where Rose Byrne won the Best Actress Award. What's more, Clara Law was nominated for the Golden Lion in Venice. The film also pocketed the Best Director Award at the Chicago International Film Festival, the Best Director Award at the Teplice Art Film Festival in Slovakia and the FIPRESCI Critics' Award for Best Film at the Tromsø Film Festival in Norway. The film was also selected for official screenings at the Toronto, London, Pusan, Hof, Vancouver, Hawaii, Taipei, Rotterdam, Jerusalem, Karlovy Vary and Oslo film festivals. She directed her first digital documentary in 2004 called Letters to Ali with Eddie Fong who co-produced, edited, and shot the film. The film was selected for competition at the Venice Film Festival and for official screenings at the Toronto, Pusan, Gothenburg and Melbourne film festivals. She completed Like a Dream in 2009. This film marked her return to Asia. The film received nine nominations at the 46th Golden Horse Awards. It also opened the 2010 Hong Kong International Film Festival. In 2010, Law made a short film, Red Earth, commissioned by the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The short was selected in the Orizzonti section at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.[10]

Law's films explore themes surrounding migration and exile, including loyalty, family, love, and nostalgia. She has used a variety of visual and narrative styles throughout her oeuvre to interrogate cultural dislocation and its effect on individuals and communities.[11]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Notes
2020 Drifting Petals
2015 The Unbearable Lightness of Inspector Fan Also known as Shanghai Noir
2010 Red Earth Short Film
2009 Like a Dream
2004 Letters to Ali Documentary[12]
2000 The Goddess of 1967 [13][14][15]
1996 Floating Life [16][17]
1994 Wonton Soup
1993 Temptation of a Monk [18]
1992 Autumn Moon [19][20]
1991 Fruit Punch
1990 Farewell China
1989 The Reincarnation of the Golden Lotus [21][22]
1988 The Other Half and the Other Half
1981 Faces and Places
1980 Police Drama
1977 Below the Lion Rock

Awards and nominations[edit]

Award Year Category Work Result Ref.
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2022 Big Screen Competition Drifting Petals Nominated [23]
Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2021 Best Director Won [24]
2009 Best Narrative Feature Like a Dream Nominated [25]
Best Director Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Tromsø International Film Festival 2001 FIPRESCI Prize The Goddess of 1967 Won [26]
IFF Art Film Golden Key for Best Direction Won [27]
Venice Film Festival 2000 Golden Lion Nominated [28]
Chicago International Film Festival 2000 Silver Hugo for Best Director Won [29]
Créteil International Women's Film Festival 1997 Grand Prix Floating Life Won [30]
Taipei Golden Horse Awards 1996 Best Director Nominated [31]
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Gijón International Film Festival 1996 Grand Prix Asturias Won [32]
Best Director Won
Australian Film Institute Awards 1996 Best Achievement in Direction Nominated [33]
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Locarno Film Festival 1996 Silver Leopard Won [34]
Hong Kong Film Awards 1994 Best Director Temptation of a Monk Nominated [35]
Créteil International Women's Film Festival 1994 Grand Prix Won [36]
Venice Film Festival 1993 Golden Lion Nominated [37]
Taipei Golden Horse Awards 1993 Best Director Autumn Moon Nominated [38]
Locarno Film Festival 1992 Golden Leopard Won [39]
Youth Jury "The environment is the quality of life" Prize Won
CICAE Jury Prize Won
Hong Kong Film Awards 1991 Best Director Farewell China Nominated [40]
Taipei Golden Horse Awards 1990 Best Director Nominated [41]
Chicago International Film Festival 1985 Silver Plaque They Say the Moon Is Fuller Here Won [42]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Zhou, Debbie (3 November 2021). "'It was strange and seductive': film director Clara Law on finding home in Australia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. ^ Lau, Joyce (30 March 2010). "Heady Days for Hong Kong Women". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Clara Law." (biography) The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  4. ^ Lee 2003
  5. ^ Lee 2003, para. 2
  6. ^ Podvin 2010, para. 2
  7. ^ Lee 2003, para. 3
  8. ^ Davis, Edward L. (2004). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture. pp. 316–317. doi:10.4324/9780203645062. ISBN 9780203645062.
  9. ^ Podvin 2010
  10. ^ Jennings, Sheri (28 July 2010). "Venice Horizons includes new works from Vincent Gallo, Guillermo Arriaga". Screen International. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  11. ^ Felando, Cynthia (1998). "Law, Clara". Women filmmakers & their films. Detroit: St. James Press. p. 236. ISBN 1-55862-357-4. OCLC 38862487.
  12. ^ "Return to sender". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 September 2004. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  13. ^ "THE GODDESS OF 1967 Film australien de Clara Law". Le Monde (in French). 18 July 2001. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  14. ^ Morris, Roderick Conway; Tribune, International Herald (6 September 2000). "Seeking a Goddess in the Outback". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Quotes of the Day". TIME.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Australian Films by Women, at Museum of the Moving Image". The New Yorker. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  17. ^ Thomas, Kevin (10 June 1999). "The Witty and the Gritty". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  18. ^ Holden, Stephen (16 December 1994). "FILM REVIEW; Battles and Orgies, Observed by a Zen Eye". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  19. ^ Holden, Stephen (26 September 1992). "Review/Film Festival; World-Weary Youths Adrift in Hong Kong". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  20. ^ "FILM REVIEW; Young People Adrift In Beautiful Hong Kong". The New York Times. 26 August 1994. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  21. ^ Smith, Mark Chalon (25 February 1994). "MOVIE REVIEW In 'Golden Lotus,' Life Is Rough--All Over Again : Clara Law's reincarnated heroine finds herself in a world that's still inhospitable to women, even centuries later". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  22. ^ Thomas, Kevin (4 May 1990). "MOVIE REVIEW : Feminist Flavor in 'Lotus'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  23. ^ "Drifting Petals | IFFR". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  24. ^ "第58屆金馬獎 入圍得獎". 台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  25. ^ "第46屆金馬獎 入圍得獎". 台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  26. ^ "9th Tromsø International Film Festival". FIPRESCI. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Ročník 2001 • IFF Art Film". IFF Art Film (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  28. ^ Marshall, Lee (13 September 2000). "The Goddess Of 1967". Screen International. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  29. ^ Nesselson, Lisa (18 October 2000). "'Amores' conquers Chicago Intl. Fest". Variety. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Édition 1997". Festival International de Films de Femmes. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  31. ^ "第33屆金馬獎 入圍得獎". 台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  32. ^ "Gijon fest fetes 'Flies,' 'Floating,' 'Portland'". Variety. 3 December 1996. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  33. ^ "AACTA AWARDS 1996". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  34. ^ "1996". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  35. ^ "第13屆香港電影金像獎提名及得獎名單 List of Nominees and Awardees of The 13th Hong Kong Film Awards". 香港電影金像獎. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Édition 1994". Festival International de Films de Femmes. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  37. ^ Stratton, David (27 September 1993). "You Seng". Variety. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  38. ^ "第30屆金馬獎 入圍得獎". 台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  39. ^ "1992". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  40. ^ "第10屆香港電影金像獎提名及得獎名單 List of Nominees and Awardees of The 10th Hong Kong Film Awards". 香港電影金像獎. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  41. ^ "第27屆金馬獎 入圍得獎". 台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  42. ^ Chen, Serena (5 May 1990). "Chinese Filmmaker Looks Back to Future : Movies: Director examines the plight of women in China in 'Golden Lotus.'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 May 2024.

Further reading[edit]

  • Shen, Shiao-ying. "Filming One's Way Home: Clara Law's Letters to Oz." In: Wang, Lingzhen. Chinese Women's Cinema: Transnational Contexts. Columbia University Press, 13 August 2013. Start page 16. ISBN 0231527446, 9780231527446.
  • Podvin, Thomas, Hong Kong Cinemagic, 2010.
  • Lee, Dian, Senses of Cinema, 2003.
  • Tong, Nancy, "From the Chinese Diaspora to a Global Dream: A Discussion With Filmmakers Clara Law and Eddie Fong", Hong Kong Cinemagic, 2010.

External links[edit]

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