Fruit Chan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fruit Chan
Fruit Chan at the Hong Kong Art Centre, 28 July 2017
Born	Chen Guo (1959-04-15) 15 April 1959 (age 66) Guangdong, China
Nationality	Hong Konger
Awards	Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Director 1998 Made in Hong Kong Best Screenplay 2001 Durian Durian Golden Bauhinia Awards – Best Director 1998 Made in Hong Kong Best Screenplay 2001 Durian Durian Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards – Best Director 1998 Made in Hong Kong 2015 The Midnight After Best Screenplay 2003 Hollywood Hong Kong Golden Horse Awards – Best Director 1997 Made in Hong Kong 2002 Hollywood Hong Kong Best Original Screenplay 1997 Made in Hong Kong 2000 Little Cheung 2001 Durian Durian

Fruit Chan Gor (born 15 April 1959) is a famous filmmaker from Hong Kong. He is known for making movies that show what everyday life is like for the people of Hong Kong.

Chan often works with amateur actors, who are people that are not professional actors. For example, he cast Sam Lee in the movie Made in Hong Kong. This film was a huge success in 1997 and won many awards, making Chan a well-known name in the movie world.

Early Life and Education

Chan was born in Guangdong, China. His English name, "Fruit," is a direct translation of his Chinese name, Guo (果). When he was young, he watched many movies from Communist countries.

In July 1971, he moved to Hong Kong with his family. They did not have much money, so Chan worked in a factory while going to night school. He later found a job as a projectionist in a movie theater, which sparked his interest in films from around the world.

To learn more about movies, he joined a one-year film course. He worked odd jobs to pay for his classes.

Career in Filmmaking

Starting Out

Chan's passion for film grew at the Hong Kong Film Culture Centre, a small club where he studied how to write and direct movies. In 1982, he began his career in the film industry as an assistant director. He helped famous directors like Jackie Chan, Kirk Wong, and Ronny Yu.

His Big Break

In 1991, a movie he was working on was suddenly stopped. Chan saw this as a chance to make his own film. He used the same studio to direct his first movie, Finale in Blood. While critics liked it, the movie was not a big hit with the public.

A few years later, Chan gathered 500,000 Hong Kong dollars and leftover film from other movies to create Made in Hong Kong. This film was a huge success and won many awards. It was different from other Hong Kong movies at the time because it showed a realistic view of the social and political issues in the city.

The movie was the first part of a series of three films called the "1997 Trilogy," which also included The Longest Summer and Little Cheung.

Directing Style

Chan has said that he is influenced by Japanese directors from the 1960s, especially Nagisa Ōshima. His movies often show a raw and sometimes serious view of life for working-class people in Hong Kong.

In 2002, Chan was a judge at the 24th Moscow International Film Festival. He was also chosen to lead the group of judges for the 2015 Taipei Film Festival.

Selected Filmography

Here are some of the movies Fruit Chan has directed, written, or produced.

As Director

• Finale in Blood (1993)
• The 1997 Trilogy (This series of films is about the time when Hong Kong's control was transferred to China)
  • Made in Hong Kong (1997)
  • The Longest Summer (1998)
  • Little Cheung (1999)
• Durian Durian (2000)
• Hollywood Hong Kong (2001)
• Public Toilet (2002)
• Three... Extremes (2004) – segment "Dumplings"
• Dumplings (2004)
• Don't Look Up (2009)
• The Midnight After (2014)
• Kill Time (2016)
• Three Husbands (2018)
• The ... (2019)
• Coffin Homes (2021)

As Scriptwriter

• Bugis Street (1995)
• Made in Hong Kong (1997)
• The Longest Summer (1998)
• Little Cheung (1999)
• Durian Durian (2000)
• Hollywood Hong Kong (2001)
• Public Toilet (2002)

As Producer

• Public Toilet (2002)
• Colour Blossoms (2004)
• A-1 Headline (2004)
• Bliss (2006)
• Still Human (2019)

See also

In Spanish: Fruit Chan para niños