Arthur Wong

Biography

Arthur Wong Ngok-tai (born 1956) is a Hong Kong cinematographer, filmmaker and actor, and one of the most recognised technical figures in the territory's film industry. His work belongs to the great period of Hong Kong action cinema in the 1980s and 1990s, and his career has continued into recent years.

He was drawn to images through his father, who had worked as a cinematographer in the 1950s and 1960s. As a camera operator, Wong became known for using multi-camera setups, and he was among the first in Asia to shoot in high definition. His credits as a director of photography include Armadura de Dios (1986) and Crime Story (1993). He has also directed features such as The Fool Escape (1980), In the Line of Duty III (1988), Ulterior Motive (2015) and Beating Heart (2022), and has appeared in a few films as an actor.

Beyond the set, he sits on the board of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association, serves as vice-chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, and founded the Hong Kong Society of Cinematographers, where he is honorary chairman. He is also honorary advisor for film and television to the Vocational Training Council of Hong Kong. He has won several Hong Kong Film Awards, and holds a unique record: he is the only person to have won three consecutive years at the awards, twice.

His legacy lies largely in the profession itself, through his work with the cinematographers' society and in training the next generation of filmmakers.

Key films

• Armadura de Dios (1986): cinematography on one of the best-known action films of Hong Kong's golden era.
• Twin Dragons (1992): cinematography on a commercially successful action comedy.
• Crime Story (1993): cinematography on a dark police thriller.
• The Warlords (2007): cinematography on an epic drama set in China in the early twentieth century.
• The Monkey King (2014): technical work on a film adaptation of the Chinese legend of the Monkey King.