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Dragon Tiger Gate - A Wilson Yip
Film
aka Long Hu Men / Lung Fu Mun
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Director - Wilson Yip Wai Sun
Wilson YIP Wai Shun started his career at Cinema City, one of
the biggest film studios of Hong Kong in 1980s. He worked as
assistant director for many leading directors and has been involved
in more than 20 feature films.
His directorial debut, 01:0am (1995) was a box office hit as well as
critically acclaimed. His third film Mongkok Story (1996) won the
Best Screenplay Award and was selected as a recommended film for the
year by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society. Bullets Over Summer
(1999) further proved his talent when it won the Jury Award at
Changchun Chinese Film Festival and the Best Screenplay Award from
the Hong Kong Film Critics Society. As a director, he has 15 films
to his credit. The success of his recent films, notably Juliet in
Love (2000), Mummy Aged 19 (2002), Leaving Me Loving You (2003), and
The White Dragon (2004) has made him one of the most sought after
filmmakers in Hong Kong.
Yip also wishes to branch out into other areas of film production,
and also devotes a lot of time to writing screenplays.
Director's Statement
While technology advances everyday and Hong Kong society keeps
evolving, human relationships have not improved at all. Though Hong
Kong citizens are economically much better off than in the 1970s,
there is less and less compassion and understanding among people.
With a soaring crime rate and all kinds of negative media reports,
something vital is lacking in our hometown.
The solution came to me when I turned to the comic book series The
Gate of Dragon & Tiger (formerly known as Little Rascal). This well
known manga was extremely popular in the 1970s for its striking
kung-fu scenes, but more importantly, for the model of unparalleled
righteousness that the three heroes upheld.
Like a whole generation in Hong Kong, I grew up with these heroes in
the 1970s. To survive in today's fast-paced world, where there's no
longer a clear-cut line between right and wrong, I became blinded by
fame and fortune. I have almost forgotten these heroes, who shaped
my formative years, until by chance, I came across the comics again.
The themes of loyalty, bravery, benevolence and righteousness
touched my heart anew and I realized that these are the qualities we
need most urgently. I want to rekindle these memories for a new
generation of film audiences. I hope that while enjoying a thrilling
martial arts work, they will also rediscover the lost passion and
the righteous spirit of the original manga.
Producer - Raymong Wong Pak Ming
Raymond WONG Pak Ming is Chairman of Mandarin Entertainment
(Holdings) Ltd. which was listed in the Hong Kong Stock
Exchange(#009) in 2001. As producer, screenwriter and actor, Wong
has over 20 years of hands-on experience in the film industry.
Presently he is also Chairman of Movie Producers and Distributors
Association of Hong Kong Limited.
In 1980, Wong formed the renowned Cinema City Co., Ltd. with Karl
Maka and Dean Shek. The company created an industry phenomenon as it
brought out hit after hit for Asian as well as international
markets, with classic series like A Better Tomorrow, Aces Go Places,
Prison On Fire and The Story of Ah Long, etc. In 1988, he scored yet
another hit with The Eight Happiness (1988)which he produced and
acted in. It broke all box-office records up to 1988. Between then
and 1991 Wong's golden touch continued to bring him box-office
success in films such as All's Well End's Well (1992).
In 1991, Wong founded the Mandarin Group of companies. Up to this
day, Wong has assumed the producer role in more than 80 titles, such
as Bride With White Hair I & II, The Chinese Feast (1999), Phantom
Lover (1995), Tristar (1996), Eighteen Springs (1997), Winner Takes
All (2000) and Dry Wood Fierce Fire (2002). Wong is also one of the
executive producers for the martial arts epic Seven Swords (2005)
directed by Tsui Hark.
Producer - Nansun Shi
Awarded by CineAsia as ‘Producer of the Year’ in 2005 and recognized
as one of the 50 influential indie filmmakers/players around the
world by Variety.com the same year, Nansun Shi’s star is still
rising after working in the Asian film scene for over 20 years.
Producer - Yu Dong
As one of the most successful film distributors in China, Yu Dong
has broken many domestic distribution records over the last 6 years.
In 1999, Yu established the Beijing Bona Culture Communication
Company, which later became the Beijing PolyBona Film Distribution
Company. Under Yu’s leadership, PolyBona has become the most
successful distribution company in China and earned itself the
nickname “the Chinese Miramax.” PolyBona has distributed nearly 100
movies in China for a combined box office revenue of USD79.9m
(RMB650m). In this way, Yu has become one of the most outstanding
managers of domestic film distribution companies.
Styling Consultant - William Chang
Upon graduation from secondary school, Chang worked as a fabric
designer and took Art Courses in the University of Hong Kong. He
began working as an assistant director after meeting director Tong
Shu-Shuen. Since Art Director was not a recognised position at the
time, Chang became both Assistant Director and Art Director thus
beginning his career as Art Director and Art Consultant.
Composer - Kenji Kawai
Kenji Kawai was recently honored with the prize of ‘Digital Contents
of the Year (2004)’, and ‘Best Music Composer’ in the 10th
Commemoration Premiere AWD Awards for his work in the Japanese
animation feature ‘Innocence’.
Best known for his work in the Japanese animation, ‘Ghost in the
Shell’, Kenji Kawai has composed music for over 300 features. Kenji
Kawai studied music in Shobi Music Academy, but left after a year
and a half to form the band, MUSE, which specialized in fusion rock.
After leaving MUSE, Kenji Kawai began to compose music for TV
commercials out of a studio set up in his own home. His work for
radio actor Yuji Mitsuva’s play was a turning point in his career.
Through this project, he met Director Naoko Asari who recommended
him to compose original soundtracks for animation features, and thus
led Kenji Kawai to a whole new frontier. His most recent work also
included Tsui Hark’s ‘Seven Swords’.
Director of Photography - Ko Chiu-Lam
Since Ko joined the camera department in 1988 he has worked on over
30 films, including Tsui Hark’s ‘Green Snake’ which with its strong
colours creating an unique atmosphere brings a fresh eye to the well
known Chinese legend and perfectly illustrates Ko’s creativity. The
other two films of note are ‘Once Upon A Time In China IV’ and ‘Once
Upon A Time In China V’ which demonstrates Ko’s total control of
large and complex sets, giving him a reputation as a most reliable
cameraman. His more recent works include ‘Time And Tide’, ‘Cat And
Mouse’ and ‘Colour of Sound’ all of which have been of great acclaim
and has made Ko the most sought after cinematographer in the
industry.
Production Designer - Mak Kwok-Keung
Mak is one of the most experienced art director working in Hong Kong
at the moment. He has worked on films of an expansive variety of
subjects managing to show a different style in each of them while
always bringing a new and fresh image to each project. More recently
he has mainly focused on the art direction of action films including
‘Tokyo Raiders’, ‘Downtown Torpedoes’ and ‘The Accidental Spy’ and
is an expert of designing sets that best bring out action scenes.
Production Company
The Mandarin Group of Companies (“Mandarin Group”) was founded in
1991. In addition to film production, Mandarin Group focuses on
other core areas of the film industry from film processing to
licensing, to distribution and promotion.
To date, the Mandarin Group has produced more than 90 Chinese titles
for distribution around the world. The first movie, All's Well End's
Well Too earned a record-bursting HK$48 million in 1992, the highest
among all the local and overseas movies of that year.
Collaborating with a number of prominent filmmakers, the Mandarin
Group is able to explore different genres, such as producing period
action films with director Ronny Yu, the literary adaptation
Eighteen Springs with Ann Hui, and comedies (and recently the
martial arts epic Seven Swords) with Tsui Hark.
In 2001, the Mandarin Group took a big leap by listing itself on the
Hong Kong stock exchange. With a secure financial backing, Mandarin
has set its mission as entering and exploring the PRC and
international film markets, and consolidating and enlarging its
reputation as a leading creative force in bringing Chinese films to
the world through its wide range of production, processing,
distribution and promotional services.
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Cast and Characters
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