Shu Kei, born Yip Kin-hang in Hong Kong in 1956 to a Bao'an family, wrote film criticism under his pen name from an early age and became a multi-faceted film professional. After graduating in English from the University of Hong Kong in 1977, he joined TVB, writing scripts for young directors such as Patrick Tam and Yim Ho, and also worked as a screenwriter at Commercial Television. He was active in the film magazine Close-up and a founding editor of Film Biweekly. In 1980 he joined Golden Harvest as assistant director on Yim Ho's The Happenings (1980) and The Club (1981), co-writing the former, and in 1981 wrote and directed his debut about two mildly disabled young lovers. He directed Soul (1986), and his documentary Sunless Days (1990) was selected for the Forum of the 40th Berlin Film Festival and won a Catholic humanist award. He directed Hu-Du-Men (1996), starring Josephine Siao, and A Queer Story (1997). He also worked in publicity and distribution, and from 1987 ran Creation House, releasing non-mainstream foreign films and a Cathay DVD series. In 2002 he joined the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, serving as Dean of the School of Film and Television from 2005 to 2016, and produced films including Tracey (2018). He is vice-chairman of the Fresh Wave festival.
Moving from critic and film-magazine editor to director and producer, Shu Kei is one of the few Hong Kong figures to span criticism, publicity, distribution and teaching. Through Creation House he distributed non-mainstream foreign films and reissued classic MP & GI titles on video, while as Dean of the School of Film and Television at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts he opened filmmaking opportunities for students and championed local film education, also producing works by a new generation such as Tracey.
Achievements
- 1981 · Wrote and directed his debut feature, about two mildly disabled young lovers.
- 1990 · His documentary Sunless Days was selected for the Forum of the 40th Berlin Film Festival and won a Catholic humanist award.
- 2005 · Became Dean of the School of Film and Television at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, serving until 2016.