Ng See-yuen, BBS, JP (born 12 June 1944), a Hong Kong director and producer from Zhongshan in Guangdong, was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong with his family in 1961; he is honorary life president of the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild and president of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers. Educated in Shanghai and later at New Method College in Hong Kong, he worked as a secondary school teacher and then as a machine maintenance man at a cotton mill in 1965, before entering Shaw Brothers' sixth Southern Drama Group course in directing and writing in 1966, where he trained in drama and worked as a continuity man. In 1969 he was assistant director on Sword of the Spirit, and in 1971 he directed his first feature, The Mad Killer. In 1972 he made a film sold to Goldig Films, then Hong Kong's third-largest film group, which distributed it. In 1973 he founded Seasonal Film Corporation and wrote and directed films such as The Young Teacher and Anti-Corruption Storm, then turned producer in 1977, making Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master, both directed by Yuen Woo-ping and starring Jackie Chan, which launched the kung-fu comedy trend; he also produced Tsui Hark's new-wave film The Butterfly Murders. From 1995 to 2000 he chaired the Hong Kong Film Awards and served several terms as president of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers. On 12 July 2002 he opened the UME Huaxing International Cinema in Beijing, and in September of the same year the UME Xintiandi cinema in Shanghai, the first cinemas in China built and run by a film professional. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards in 2013, and in 2017 sold his UME cinema stake to Li Ruigang's China Media Capital. He holds the Bronze Bauhinia Star and a Justices of the Peace appointment, founded the Seasonal basketball team, and since the 2017–18 season has been a Hong Kong Jockey Club horse owner. In May 2020 he was among about 2,600 cultural figures who signed in support of the Hong Kong National Security Law. He has a daughter, Vivian Ng.
Ng See-yuen combined the roles of director, producer and industry leader: his productions Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle's Shadow launched the kung-fu comedy trend, made Jackie Chan a star and opened overseas markets for Hong Kong action films, and he later moved into mainland cinema construction as one of the first filmmakers to bring Hong Kong production experience to the mainland exhibition circuit.
Achievements
- 1971 · Directed his first feature, The Mad Killer
- 1973 · Founded Seasonal Film Corporation
- 1978 · Produced Drunken Master, which made Jackie Chan a star
- 2013 · Received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards