Jingle Ma Cho-shing (born 26 February 1957) is a Hong Kong director and cinematographer. He entered the film industry in 1983, working his way up from production assistant and lighting, and in 1986 served as cinematographer for the first time on Sylvia Chang's Passion, earning a nomination for Best Cinematography at the 23rd Golden Horse Awards. He went on to shoot more than forty films, including Farewell China (1989) and Kawashima Yoshiko (1990). In 1996 he won Best Cinematography at both the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards and the 34th Golden Horse Awards for Comrades: Almost a Love Story, and in 1998 took Best Cinematography at the 35th Golden Horse Awards for City of Glass. He made his directorial debut that same year with Hot War, following it in 1999 with Fly Me to Polaris, a ghost romance starring Cecilia Cheung and Richie Jen that became a box-office hit and a classic of Hong Kong romance cinema. In the 2000s he directed commercial pictures such as Summer Holiday, Tokyo Raiders and Para Para Sakura; Tokyo Raiders, a Lunar New Year film starring Tony Leung, Ekin Cheng, Kelly Chen and Cecilia Cheung, was followed by the 2005 sequel Seoul Raiders. His 2009 Mulan, starring Zhao Wei, brought the ancient heroine to the screen. Known for handsome visuals and smooth pacing, Ma ranks among Hong Kong's key commercial directors.
Working his way up from runner and lighting man to an award-winning cinematographer before turning director, Jingle Ma opened up the market with handsome visuals and breezy romantic comedy. His cinematography on films such as Comrades, together with the box-office success of Fly Me to Polaris, helped keep the Hong Kong romance film vibrant around the turn of the millennium.
Achievements
- 1986 · Shot his first film as cinematographer, Passion, earning a Golden Horse nomination for Best Cinematography.
- 1997 · Won Best Cinematography at the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards for Comrades: Almost a Love Story.
- 1998 · Made his directorial debut with Hot War and followed it with the hit romance Fly Me to Polaris.