BAFTA’s activities in Hong Kong are overseen by our Hong Kong Advisory Board, pooling some of the best minds from the UK and Asian film, television and games industries. The Advisory Board use BAFTA’s considerable talent pool of approximately 6,500 members and our unrivaled network of industry professionals to encourage new talent, inspire emerging practitioners and stimulate creative collaboration between the UK and Asia. By doing so, BAFTA aims to drive standards across our industries ever higher. Excellence remains the watchword.
The Board is made up of leading industry figures from Hong Kong and the UK, overseeing BAFTA’s ambitions to expand its charitable activity in Hong Kong and beyond.
Board Members
BAFTAFront Row L-R
Biographies
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Jonathan Caplan QC Chair Barrister and Chairman of BAFTA Management Ltd Barrister, former Chair of BAFTA Management Ltd, and current BAFTA Commercial Committee member Jonathan Caplan is a barrister and Queen's Counsel who specialises in media law. He advises and represents television companies, newspapers, film companies and individuals. He recently has been involved in the Leveson Inquiry into Press ethics and in the News International phone hacking trial. He frequently represents clients in Asia, the United States and the Gulf. He is a past member of the Development Board of the Royal Court Theatre and is a Patron of the Wiener Holocaust Library. He has been Chairman of BAFTA Management Limited for the past ten years. He has also been a television journalist. |
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Claire Breen Melwani Director of Luxury Sales, Partnerships and Special Projects for the Financial Times, Asia Pacific Claire Breen Melwani joined the Financial Times, Asia Pacific in 2008 as the Director of Luxury Sales, Partnerships and Special Projects. Based in Hong Kong she oversees business development activities for the luxury sector, Asia specific products for the FT and custom publications for clients. New titles launched under her include The Little Book of Business Travel and Watch This Space. Prior to joining the FT Claire worked in TV production, publishing and public relations, both in Asia and the UK, with roles at companies including Saatchi & Saatchi’s Rowland Company and Condé Nast. Claire sits on the Board of FilmAid Asia, is co-chair of the annual Power of Film Gala, a founder member of the British Fashion Council, Fashion Trust Hong Kong and holds a BA in Public Relations and Marketing. |
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Kevin Burke Head of the Institutional Client Group, Debt, Asia. Deutsche Bank. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Kevin Burke was Managing Director and Global Head of Investor Solutions at Barclays. He was also a member of the Sales Management Committee, with over 20 years’ experience in the Asia region. Prior to joining Barclays, he was at Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) for seven years, where he held a number of senior positions, including Managing Director and Head of European Private Banking Coverage and Head of Fixed Income Sales for Asia Pacific. Prior to that, Mr. Burke worked in Fixed Income Sales for BZW Ltd in London, Hong Kong and Singapore. Mr. Burke holds a BSc in Toxicology and Pharmacology with First Class Honours from the School of Pharmacy, University of London and an MSc in Management from Oxford University. He is a keen supporter of the Arts and is involved in a number of charities including : Quintessentially Foundation Trustee, UK Advisory Board Member for Room to Read, Production Circle Partner for the Old Vic, Patron of the Almeida Theatre & the Princes Trust, Member of the BAFTA Academy Circle. |
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Peter Chan Film director and producer One of the predominant Chinese filmmakers, Peter Ho-Sun Chan has established himself as a preeminent producer-director who has won 165 film awards from 265 nominations. He was a co-founder of United Filmmakers Organization (UFO) and produced a string of hits such as Tom, Dick & Hairy (1993), He's a Woman, She's a Man (1994) and Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1997). His directorial debut Alan and Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye (1991) was awarded Best Film of the Year by the Directors’ Guild of Hong Kong, as was He for which Chan also won Best Director. Comrades won a record 9 Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) and was voted one of the 10 Best Movies of 1997 by TIME magazine. Subsequently, Chan moved to Hollywood and directed The Love Letter (1999) for Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks SKG. In 2000, he established Applause Pictures with the aim to pioneer the "pan-Asian" concept of co-producing high quality films across the Asian region, one of the original films produced was The Eye series (2002, 2004, 2005) which was then remade to English version by Lionsgate. His groundbreaking musical, Perhaps Love (2005), was one of the year's most critically acclaim films, and was honored with a record of 29 awards. The Warlords (2007) swept the 27th HKFA, most notably Best Film and Best Director. He next produced two blockbusters, Derek Yee's Protégé (2007) and Teddy Chen's Bodyguards and Assassins (2009). The latter scored a total of 35 film awards, including five Best Film and five Best Director awards. His producing- directing efforts, Wu Xia (2011), was the only Chinese language film to be invited into the Official Selection in the 64th Cannes Film Festival. And American Dreams in China (2013) took the top honor of Best Director, Best Picture and Best Actor at the 29th Golden Rooster Awards in China. Chan is the only director who has garnered Best Director awards from China’s Golden Rooster, HKFA and Taiwan's Golden Horse. |
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Shu Kei Film director and writer, Chair of Hong Kong School of Film and Television of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Shu Kei began writing scripts for television when he was still studying in the University of Hong Kong. Among the directors he worked with during this period were Ann Hui, Partrick Tam, Allen Fong and Tsui Hark. He entered Golden Harvest Film Co. after graduation as scriptwriter and assistant director. In 1981, he made his directorial debut, SEALED WITH A KISS. Since then, he has directed seven drama features, including HU-DU-MEN (1996) and A QUEER STORY (1997), COFFEE OR TEA (2008) and a documentary, SUNLESS DAYS (1990). He was also a distributor specialising in arthouse films. He had distributed over 200 titles in a span of 15 years. In 1997, he opened the first film bookshop, P.O.V., in Asia. He also edited several annual film review anthologies for Hong Kong Film Critics Society (of which he was the founder) and published two books on Hong Kong Cinema in the 1950s and 1960s for Hong Kong International Film Festival and is the author of two novels. He is now Chair of School of Film and Television of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In 2012, he also founded the Hong Kong Cantonese Cinema Study Association. |
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Duncan Kenworthy OBE Film and television producer and currently Vice-President of BAFTA Duncan Kenworthy is best-known as the producer of three of the most successful British films of all time: Four Weddings and a Funeral ('94), Notting Hill ('99), and Love Actually ('03). Duncan began his career in 1973 on Sesame Street in New York. He worked closely with Jim Henson for ten years in London, was associate producer of The Dark Crystal ('82), and co-creator of Fraggle Rock ('83-87). His producing credits include The Storyteller ('88) and Greek Myths ('90) written by Anthony Minghella, the independent feature Lawn Dogs ('97), a critically acclaimed miniseries of Gulliver's Travels ('96), and the Roman adventure The Eagle (2011). He co-founded DNA Films in 1997 with Andrew Macdonald. He has been nominated for an Oscar and three Golden Globes; has won five BAFTAs and three Emmys; was made an O.B.E. in 1999 for services to film; and is Vice President of BAFTA. His production company is Toledo Productions, based in London. |
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Levina Li-Cadman Co-Founder, Sassy Media Group Born and raised in Hong Kong, Levina has over 15 years of experience in strategic business development, marketing and brand management, as well as direct sales in the media and luxury goods sector in Asia. In 2007, she was appointed as Christie's Vice-President, Director of Business Development for Asia managing daily business development activities for the region, including identifying and developing new relationships, partnerships and alliances and refining private client development strategies in the region. Levina joins Christie's from Financial Times where she has been Partnership & Alliances Director, Asia Pacific since 2003 where she helped developed the luxury strategy for the FT and managed promotional campaigns and events in the region, working with a range of blue-chip brands and private banks. She was also primarily responsible for conceiving and executing the FT's inaugural Business of Luxury Summit in Shanghai in 2005. Previously, she was Marketing & Communications Director, Asia Pacific at Lanvin. From 1997-2001, she was Director and Vice President at Turner Entertainment Networks Asia Pacific and prior to this, she was Asia Regional Director for Elite Model Management. Levina earned her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Pepperdine University. Besides her work for Sassy Media Group, Levina is also a business development consultant for clients in art, design, and luxury goods industries. In terms of charitable board appointments, Levina serves as a board of director for FilmAid Asia and The Sovereign Art Foundation. |
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Peter Loehr Chief Executive Officer, Legendary East Ltd. After seven years of entertainment industry experience in Japan and Taiwan, Peter Loehr established Imar Film Co., Ltd., China's first independent film company, in 1995. Imar was China's first true, multi-faceted independent film company, producing, distributing and marketing all of their films entirely in-house. Loehr was selected as one of Variety's "10 Producers to Watch" in 1999. Loehr has produced nine feature films in Asia, which have won awards at a large number international film festivals including: Toronto, San Sebastian, Thessaloniki, Rotterdam, Udine and Seattle, Bangkok, Singapore and Stockholm. Many of his films have been top sellers at the Chinese Box Office. In January 2005, Peter Loehr became Managing Director of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in China. During Loehr's seven year tenure leading CAA in Asia, the agency grew from the ground up to represent over seventy artists in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea. CAA was involved with four of the largest co-productions in Asian history, John Woo's The Battle of Red Cliff, Rob Minkoff's Forbidden Kingdom, JJ Abram's Mission Impossible III and the Will Smith produced The Karate Kid. In April 2012, Peter Loehr joined Legendary Pictures and became CEO of its China joint venture – Legendary East, a film company focusing on big budget Sino-US Co-productions with subjects based on Chinese history, mythology and culture. Peter Loehr is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service with a major in International Politics and speaks fluent Mandarin and Japanese. |
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John McLellan Head of Commercial & Media and Entertainment Groups – Haldanes, Solicitors and Notaries John McLellan is head of the Commercial & Media and Entertainment Department at Haldanes. Qualified in Hong Kong, England and Wales and the Australian Capital Territories, John has acted for a wide range of industry-specific clients, including film studios, production companies, television channels, recording and publishing companies, movie stars and musical talents. John has been described by The Who's Who of the Law as "One of Hong Kong's leading entertainment lawyers" and Haldanes are a multiple winner of the Asian Legal Business "Entertainment Law Firm of the Year" Award. John is equally active outside of private practice – he is legal advisor to a number of industry bodies, and sits on the board of two charities (FilmAid Asia and Share Pacific Limited). John is also a frequent speaker at international media conferences, including MIDEM, the Cannes International Film Festival and MIP. |
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Sandra Ng Actress Sandra Ng is widely recognized as the most bankable actress in Hong Kong. She has earned the title of Hong Kong's Highest Box Office Actress, accumulated more than HK$715million in Hong Kong as of 2005. Having starred in over 100 films, she is crowned the Queen of Comedy by many with her fame as the box office champ. Her films in the past 5 years have grossed over HK$700million in China alone. Ng entered the show business during the golden period of the Hong Kong film industry in the 80s. Her hilarious, filthy persona has made her stand out from other actresses and landed her countless comedic roles in movies such as The Greatest Lover (1988) with Chow Yun-Fat and All's Well End Well (1992) with Stephen Chow and Maggie Cheung. But it wasn't until her performance as a triad leader in Portland Street Blues (1998) that earned her recognition as a serious actress and won her the Best Actress award in the Hong Kong Film Awards. She continued to challenge herself in different roles such as a mob wife in Dante Lam's Jiang Hu: The Triad Zone (2000), a Tango dancer wannabe in Andrew Lau's Dance of a Dream (2001), a prostitute in Samson Chiu's Golden Chicken (2002), in which she received her second Best Actress award in the Golden Horse Awards, a bisexual woman in Ann Hui’s All About Love (2010) that brought her another Best Actress trophy from Asian Film Festival of Rome and a humble housewife in Echoes of the Rainbow (2010), of which the film has won the Crystal Bear Award in Berlin Int'l Film Festival and earned Ng a Best Actress nomination in the Hong Kong Film Awards. |
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William Pfeiffer Founder and CEO, Dragongate Entertainment William Pfeiffer is Founder and CEO of Dragongate Entertainment, a feature film production, distribution and film financing company producing English and Asian-language films in partnership with Lionsgate. Until 2012, Pfeiffer was Founder and CEO of Tiger Gate Entertainment, a TV channel and content production/distribution company that launched 3 television channels. As CEO of Celestial Pictures until 2008, Pfeiffer founded a film/TV production, distribution, and TV channel company that owns the world’s largest Chinese film library. Until 2001, Pfeiffer was Managing Director, Asia, of Columbia TriStar International Television and EVP of International Corporate Development for Sony Pictures, where he launched 20 TV channels and established film and TV production entities across Asia. Until 1992, Pfeiffer was Managing Director of Asia for The Walt Disney Company's home entertainment business and established its Asian television production business. Pfeiffer attended the University of Notre Dame and Sophia University (Tokyo) as well as Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He has lived in Asia for over 30 years. |
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Darren Shaw Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Hong Kong-born Darren Shaw is a member of a prominent Chinese business family with a long history in media and entertainment. His grandfather, Runde Shaw, was one of four brothers who started the first Shaw Studios. Sir Run Run Shaw, his great-uncle, would later establish Shaw Brothers, producing over a thousand films (many of which are now Chinese cinema classics) and Hong Kong-listed Television Broadcasts (TVB), one of the world's most successful Chinese media companies. After graduating from University College of London in 1987, Darren co-founded Europe's first Chinese language satellite TV channel. He established an Asian real estate partnership between his family and the Grosvenor Group, the Duke of Westminster's property company. He has since been involved in a number of successful media, telecoms, internet, property services and asset management businesses. He has been an advisor to Bank of China's TMT investment banking division, as well as to Red Bee Media (formally BBC Broadcast). He is currently a director of Shaw Brothers Limited, TVB's largest shareholder; a member of Unilever's Digital Advisory Board; and closely engaged with Shaw Movie City, a 1.1 million sq. ft. film production and digital post facility in Hong Kong. |
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Nansun Shi Film producer Esteemed and prolific producer Nansun Shi has produced such blockbuster hits as Infernal Affairs (2002), Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010), Late Autumn (2010), The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D (2011) and Young Detective Dee – Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013). Shi was named by Variety magazine as one of the 50 most influential independent filmmakers around the world and Producer of the Year by CineAsia in 2005. She was pivotal in the success of Cinema City and Film Workshop Co Ltd., which she founded with an internationally-acclaimed Producer/Director Tsui Hark. Committed to the progress of Hong Kong cinema, SHI is a member of the Hong Kong Film Development Council. In 2007, SHI was a juror of the Berlin Film Festival’s main competition. She was also a juror of the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. |
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Yat Siu Founder and CEO, Outblaze Yat Siu is a serial technology and new media entrepreneur based in Hong Kong. He is founder and CEO of Outblaze, one of the regions technology pioneers, and also co-founder of Animoca, one of the region’s largest developers of smartphone games with over 200 million games installs to date. In 2007 he formed TurnOut Ventures, a joint venture with Turner Entertainment Broadcasting to invest in content development on properties such as Ben 10 and Tuzki, the icon of the internet generation in China. In 2009 IBM acquired Outblaze's messaging division to become Lotus Live iNotes and established IBM's first cloud development center in Hong Kong. Yat has earned numerous accolades and was named a Global Leader of Tomorrow, a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the DHL/ SCMP Awards. He is a supporter of various NGOs and serves on the board of directors for the Asian Youth Orchestra. He also set up ThinkBlaze, a research arm dedicated to investigating socially meaningful issues relating to technology and media. |
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Fred Wang Director of Salon Film (Hong Kong) Limited Chairman, Salon Films Group of companies. The Wang family founded Salon Films (Hong Kong) Limited in 1969. Mr Wang has been a director of Salon since 1969 and he has worked with various major Hollywood film and television companies in setting up projects in Asia. Since 1985, Mr Wang has been involved with various investment groups in Asia. Mr Wang is the Hon. Vice President of the China Film Foundation, Director of the Board of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited, a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations Worldwide. Mr Wang graduated with the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business and Economics from Whittier College, California. |
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Katherine Yip Chairwoman of KYG International Katherine Yip, Chairman and Founder of KYG International, is an accomplished entrepreneur and investor with more than 20 years of founding and scaling businesses around the world. Ms Yip's investment philosophy is to create value through innovative strategic management with the objective of developing investments into market leaders in their industries. Headquartered in Hong Kong, KYG International undertakes investment and asset management activities globally. It has US$18 billion in assets under management (AUM) through its own investments and partnerships. The company focuses on media technology, real estate and hospitality. One of Asia's most successful investors and female entrepreneurs, Ms. Yip co-founded two of the world's leading investment firms: Pacific Alliance Group and VinaCapital Group. PAG Asia has US$15 billion in AUM. VinaCapital Group is the world's largest foreign direct investment fund for Vietnam, with US$1.8 billion in AUM. Ms Yip is also a strategic partner in category-leading companies such as Sanrio Digital, Outblaze and Touch Media. Ms Yip is an active board member and major sponsor of multiple international cultural and charitable associations. |
