Colors of Soul

One of the true auteurs of Asian cinema, Yonfan writes, directs, produces and serves as art director on his own films. Born in Hunan, China, he moved to Taiwan with his parents in 1952. He spent his adolescent years there before moving to Europe and America to finish his schooling, subsequently relocating to Hong Kong in 1965. Beginning his career as a photographer and later entering film distribution, Yonfan began directing his own features in 1984. His international breakthrough came with BISHONEN, in 1998 which screened to great acclaim at the Berlin Film Festival. His next film, PEONY PAVILION propelled actress Rie Miyazawa to win Best Actress at the Moscow Film Festival and the film was voted one of the ten best films of 2001 by Time Magazine’s Richard Corliss. In 2003 he made his one and only documentary, BREAKING THE WILLOW, on the legacy of China’s traditional kunqu opera. After shooting COLOUR BLOSSOM (2004), he took four years to prepare PRINCE OF TEARS, which was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival in 2009. In addition to his career in Film, Yonfan has shot and published a number of photography collections, is an avid and accomplished collector of Asian art and has served as a consultant to numerous museums and private art collectors.