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Nelson Yu Lik-wai

Nelson Yu Lik-wai

Camera

Biography

Yu Lik-wai (simplified Chinese: 余力为; traditional Chinese: 余力爲; pinyin: Yú Lìwéi; Jyutping: Yu4 Lik6 Wai4; born 12 August 1966), sometimes credited as Nelson Yu, is a Hong Kong cinematographer, film director, and occasional film producer. Born in Hong Kong, Yu Lik-wai was educated at Belgium's INSAS (Institut National Superieur des Arts de Spectacle) where he graduated with a degree in cinematography in 1994. Yu has become a mainstay in both the cinemas of China (where he is perhaps best known for his collaborations with director Jia Zhangke) and Hong Kong. Yu has served as director of photography for nearly all of Chinese director Jia Zhangke's films, and along with Jia, the two men founded their own independent film production company, Xstream Pictures.

Known For

In the Mood for Love
8.1

In 1960s Hong Kong, two neighbors form an intimate bond after making a discovery about their spouses in this visually stunning tale of unrequited love.

In the Mood for Love

2000
A Touch of Sin
7.2

Four people in different provinces are driven to violent ends: An angry miner is enraged by corruption in his village. A migrant discovers the possibilities of owning a firearm. A receptionist is pushed beyond her limits by an abusive client. A young factory worker goes from one job to the next.

A Touch of Sin

2013
Dream Home
6.4

A woman will go to whatever lengths necessary to obtain her dream home with a view of the sea. This includes driving down the property value and decreasing the occupancy rate by killing her potential neighbors.

Dream Home

2010
A Simple Life
7.5

After suffering a stroke, an altruistic maid announces that she wants to quit her job and move into an old people's home.

A Simple Life

2012
Still Life
7.2

A town in Fengjie county is gradually being demolished and flooded to make way for the Three Gorges Dam. A man and woman visit the town to locate their estranged spouses, and become witness to the societal changes.

Still Life

2006
Our Time Will Come
6.0

In Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, a school teacher and her would-be-fiancé link up with Chinese guerrilla fighters, forging their own path to freedom.

Our Time Will Come

2017
Mountains May Depart
7.0

The life of Tao, and those close to her, is explored in three different time periods: 1999, 2014, and 2025.

Mountains May Depart

2015
Getting Home
7.4

A black comedy about a farmer who tries to bring home the body of his friend, who died far from their town.

Getting Home

2007
Ash Is Purest White
6.9

Set in China's underworld, this tale of love and betrayal follows a dancer who fired a gun to protect her mobster boyfriend during a fight. On release from prison 5 years later, she sets out to find him.

Ash Is Purest White

2018
Pickpocket
7.2

A small town pickpocket whose friends have moved on to higher trades finds himself bitter and unable to adapt.

Pickpocket

1997
24 City
7.0

As a decades-old state-run aeronautics munitions factory in downtown Chengdu, China is being torn down for the construction of the titular luxury apartment complex, director Jia Zhangke interviews various people affiliated with it about their experiences.

24 City

2008
Ordinary Heroes
7.2

Ordinary Heroes is a narration about the life stories of an advocate, a prostitute, a social worker, and a priest during the social movements from 1970s to 1980s in Hong Kong. The film is based upon true stories.

Ordinary Heroes

1999
Caught by the Tides
6.8

Years after her boyfriend left her for the big city and promised to bring her there after he’s settled down, a Chinese woman sets out on a journey to be reunited with him.

Caught by the Tides

2025
The Best is Yet to Come
6.1

In 2003, Han Dong, a teenager who dropped out of high school, arrives at Beijing with a dream of becoming a journalist.

The Best is Yet to Come

2023
Venice 70: Future Reloaded
5.1

Made for the Venice Film Festival's 70th anniversary, seventy filmmakers made a short film between 60 and 90 seconds long on their interpretation of the future of cinema.

Venice 70: Future Reloaded

2013
The Postmodern Life of My Aunt
5.6

Ye Rutang, a single-living woman in her late fifties, struggles to maintain a dignified life amid the dangers of Shanghai.

The Postmodern Life of My Aunt

2007
Unknown Pleasures
6.5

Two disaffected, unemployed Chinese youth drift through life on the streets of their industrial town, their paths crossing with that of a local young singer and dancer working for a liquor company as a spokesmodel.

Unknown Pleasures

2002
Love Will Tear Us Apart
6.5

The film gets under the skin of a very marginalized group: recent immigrants to Hong Kong from Mainland China. Belying the expectation that they will belong in a territory now returned to China's sovereignty, they find themselves lonely, frustrated, poor, and employable only in the most menial jobs, from elevator service staff to prostitution.

Love Will Tear Us Apart

1999
Plastic City
3.9

Yuda, a Chinese immigrant, and his adopted son Kirin, who he saved being eaten by a tiger in the jungle, stand at the head of a massive pirated goods operation that brings in both money and influence. But their empire is crumbling, as corrupt politicians and rival gangs seek to end their power in the city. Yuda is soon got arrested and his dedicated son tries his best to save not just the family business, but his father's reputation.

Plastic City

2009
Heaven and Hell
N/A

The movie tells the story of a restaurant owner (played by Duan Yihong) who's chased after the murderer of his son for seven years. On the way, he met a young man (played by Shi Pengyuan) with a complicated background. Amidst suspicion and temptation, the relationship between the two began moving in an unexpected direction.

Heaven and Hell

2025