Photo: derivative work: Tabercil (talk) Wong Kar-wai at 2008 TIFF.jpg: lukeisback.com / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
For me Wong Kar-wai is less a director than a conjurer of moods. Born in Shanghai, raised in Hong Kong as a kind of internal exile, he poured that rootless ache into images nobody else could make. In the Mood for Love alone, those slow-motion glances and neon-soaked corridors, is enough to justify a lifetime of acclaim, and the Cannes, César, and Arts et Lettres honors only confirm what the eye already knows. He tells stories through cigarette smoke, rain, and unfulfilled longing rather than plot, often shooting without a finished script. That tightrope approach should fail constantly. Instead it yields masterpieces, and he remains the Hong Kong filmmaker I revere most.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Wong Kar-wai
- Name (Japanese)
- ウォン・カーウァイ
- Reading
- うぉん・かーうぁい
- Born
- July 17, 1958 (age 67)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Dog
- Origin
- Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / film producer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Awards & achievements
- Bronze Bauhinia Star
- Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
- 1997 Cannes Best Director Award
- 2001 César Award for Best Foreign Film
- 2013 Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- 1991 Golden Horse Award for Best Director
- 2014 Asian Film Award for Best Director
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Wong Kar-wai born?
Born July 17, 1958 (age 67).
Where is Wong Kar-wai from?
Wong Kar-wai is from Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
What does Wong Kar-wai do?
Wong Kar-wai works as film director, screenwriter, film producer.
Film director — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from People's Republic of China →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.