Clara Law facts for kids

Clara Law Cheuk-yiu (traditional Chinese: 羅卓瑤; simplified Chinese: 罗卓瑶; Mandarin Pinyin: Luó Zhuóyáo; Jyutping: lo4 coek3 jiu4) was born on May 29, 1957, in Macau. She is a famous film director from Hong Kong. Later, she moved to Australia with her partner, Eddie Fong, who is also a filmmaker. Clara Law is well-known for her movies like Floating Life and Autumn Moon.

Clara Law's Early Life and School

Clara Law was born in Macau in 1957. When she was 10 years old, her family moved to Hong Kong.

She went to the University of Hong Kong. There, she studied English Literature.

After university, Clara worked in television in Hong Kong for a while. In 1982, she decided to study film direction and writing. She went to the National Film and Television School in England. Her graduation film, They Say the Moon is Fuller Here, won an award in 1985. It received the Silver Plaque Award at the Chicago International Film Festival.

Clara Law's Film Career

Starting Out in Television

In 1978, Clara Law started working at Radio Television Hong Kong. She was an assistant producer and director. She learned many things about making TV shows. This included writing scripts and directing. Between 1978 and 1981, she directed 12 drama programs for the TV channel.

Making Movies: 1985 to 1994

Clara Law came back to Hong Kong in 1985. She started working on her first full-length movie. It was called The Other Half and the Other Half and came out in 1988. From then on, she worked with Eddie Fong on all her film projects.

In 1989, she made her second film, The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus. This movie was shown at the Toronto Film Festival. It was also released in cinemas in the United States. A year later, she directed Farewell China. For this film, she was nominated for top awards. These included the Golden Horse Award for Best Director and the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director.

In 1991, she directed Fruit Punch. This was a commercial film made by a big Hong Kong film studio. In 1992, she directed and produced Autumn Moon. This movie won the Golden Leopard award at the Locarno Film Festival in 1992. It also won other awards in Switzerland, Belgium, and Portugal.

In 1993, Clara Law released Temptation of a Monk. This film was based on a story by Lillian Lee. It was filmed in northern China. The movie was chosen for a competition at the 50th Venice International Film Festival. It also won a major award at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival in France in 1994. The film was shown at many other film festivals around the world.

In 1994, Law made a part of the movie Erotique. Her segment was called "Wonton Soup". Later that year, she and Eddie Fong moved to Australia.

Filming in Australia and Beyond: 1994 to Today

After moving to Australia in 1994, Clara Law and Eddie Fong made their first film there. It was called Floating Life and was finished in 1996. This movie won the Silver Leopard Award at the Locarno Film Festival in 1996. It also won awards in Spain and France. Floating Life was chosen to represent Australia at the 69th Academy Awards in 1997. It was shown at many film festivals, including those in Sydney, Melbourne, and London.

The Goddess of 1967 was completed in 2000. It was filmed in the Australian outback and in Tokyo, Japan. This film was part of a competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2000. Actress Rose Byrne won an award for her role in it. Clara Law was also nominated for the Golden Lion, which is the top award at that festival. The film won Best Director Awards at the Chicago International Film Festival and a festival in Slovakia. It also won a critics' award in Norway.

In 2004, she directed her first digital documentary. It was called Letters to Ali. Eddie Fong helped her by co-producing, editing, and filming it. This documentary was also chosen for competition at the Venice Film Festival. It was shown at other festivals in Toronto, Pusan, and Melbourne.

Clara Law finished Like a Dream in 2009. This film marked her return to making movies in Asia. It 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 called Red Earth. The Hong Kong International Film Festival asked her to make it. This short film was shown at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.

In 2023, a new film called The Little Qipao Shop was being developed. Clara Law and Eddie Fong directed it.

Themes in Clara Law's Films

Clara Law's movies often explore ideas about moving to a new country. These ideas include loyalty, family, love, and missing home. She uses different visual styles and storytelling methods in her films. She shows how moving to a new culture affects people and communities.

Clara Law's Filmography

Awards and Nominations for Clara Law

See also

• List of graduates of University of Hong Kong