Chiu Sin Hang (Chinese: 趙善恆; born 11 March 1984) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, film director and actor. Debuting as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band ToNick, Chiu gained public recognition with the band's first album Let's Go and their non-album single "Last Christmas" in 2010. He made his onscreen debut with a guest role in the HKTV drama series Second Life (2015), and ventured into film directing with the horror film Vampire Cleanup Department (2017). Continuing his pursuits in both film and music, Chiu directed and starred in the sports film One Second Champion (2021), earning a nomination for Best New Director and winning Best Original Film Song as the singer and composer of the film's theme song in the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2023, Chiu made his television directorial debut and starred as the male lead in the ViuTV drama series Beyond the Common Ground.
Chiu Sin Hang | |
|---|---|
趙善恆 | |
 Chiu in June 2023 | |
| Born | Chiu Sin Hang 1984 (age 39–40) |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
Biography
editChiu was born in 1984 in Hong Kong.[1] He became interested in music and started learning guitar after watching Back to the Future.[2] He attended the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and joined the music clubs and bands at the university.[2] He also met his future bandmates Ryan Chan, Siugwai Wu, and Yip Sen Hei at PolyU.[3] Chiu transferred to the School of Film and Television of the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts a year later and majored in sound system design.[2][4] He also began directing short films in his freshman year at HKAPA and befriended Anthony Yan, his future frequent collaborator, while working on a project for a directorial course.[2] Chiu graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007.[2] He formed the rock band ToNick alongside his PolyU friends Chan, Su, and Yip after watching a concert by Mayday in the same year.[3] He worked as a full-time screenwriter for several years before the band's official debut and the release of their first single "Mochi Ice Cream" in 2010.[4] Chiu then spent most of his time composing and performing with the band and took on several part-time jobs, including teaching guitar, stage management, working at a cha chaan teng, and working for a renovation company to make a living.[2] The band received public recognition after releasing their first album Let's Go and a non-album single "Last Christmas" on YouTube in 2010.[5] Chiu, still intending to participate in film projects, also wrote several screenplays with Yan but failed to pitch them to distributors.[2] However, he secured a guest role in the 2015 HKTV drama series Second Life as the younger version of Wilfred Lau's character.[6] In 2016, Chiu became one of the co-hosts of the ViuTV music program Canton Lyrics Lovers.[7]
In 2017, Chiu made his directorial debut alongside Anthony Yan with the horror romance film Vampire Cleanup Department.[8] Although the film was not able to be released in China due to censorship, it was positively received in Hong Kong and grossed over HK$6 million at the local box office.[2] "Stay Together", the theme song of the film which was composed and performed by ToNick, also went viral on the internet and won numerous music awards that year, including a nomination for Best Original Film Song in the 37th Hong Kong Film Awards.[2][9] He also starred in the 2019 action thriller film The Fatal Raid and the 2021 romance film P.T.G.F..[10][11]
In 2021, Chiu directed his second feature film One Second Champion and starred in a lead role as Yip Chi Shun, an heir to a boxing gym and a boxing fanatic, alongside Endy Chow and Lin Min Chen, the lead actress from Vampire Cleanup Department.[12] He was nominated for Best New Director and won Best Original Film Song as the co-performer and composer of the film's theme song "Origin of Time" in the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards.[13] In 2023, Chiu made his television directorial debut with the ViuTV drama series Beyond the Common Ground, while also taking on the lead role as Yip Chi Fan, a former barrister who became disillusioned with the corruption and manipulation of the law in the legal system, starring alongside Ivy So and Vincent Kok.[14][15]
Personal life
editChiu was in a relationship with singer Hana Tam for over ten years, and they had plans of getting married.[16] However, they ultimately broke up in February 2023.[17] After their breakup, Chiu was diagnosed with depression and struggled with it for a year.[16][18]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Director | Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Vampire Cleanup Department | Yes | Yes | Driver | [8][19] |
| 2018 | Keyboard Warriors | No | Yes | Gei Gei (紀基) | [19] |
| 2019 | The Fatal Raid | No | Yes | Lee Chi Hang (李志恆) | [10] |
| 2021 | P.T.G.F. | No | Yes | Wong Ka Chun (王家俊) | [11] |
| One Second Champion | Yes | Yes | Yip Chi Shun (葉志信) | [12] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Director | Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Second Life | No | Yes | Young Cheung Yuk-jit (張旭哲) | Guest role[6] |
| 2018 | Hong Kong West Side Stories | No | Yes | Ming (阿明) | Guest role[20] |
| 2020 | Leap Day | No | Yes | Nick Tong | Cameo[21] |
| 2023 | Beyond the Common Ground | Yes | Yes | Sheldon Yip Chi Fan (葉志凡) | Main role[14] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 40th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best New Director | One Second Champion | Nominated | [13] |
| Best Original Film Song | Won |
References
edit- ^ "Serrini充當「經理人」 為ToNick 恆仔做擋箭牌 避談新戀情". AsOne Entertainment (in Chinese). 10 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 丁喬 (22 July 2022). "專訪｜一步步上金像獎舞台 趙善恆：承受生命之重，一秒秒改寫將來". Wavezine (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b 溫敏芝 (18 June 2021). "【ToNick專訪】走過天台木屋band房的日子 ToNick尋根做無悔演唱會". Ming Pao (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b 溫敏芝 (19 February 2021). "【趙善恆專訪】周國賢做拳手傷眼角縫八針 趙善恆吃拉麵感觸落淚". Ming Pao (in Chinese). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "ToNick 幽默化怒氣". Oriental Daily News (in Chinese). 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b "發人深省的《第二人生》". Hong Kong Inmedia (in Chinese). 17 March 2015. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ 黃志華 (18 April 2016). "歌詞愛好者有好節目". Hong Kong Economic Journal (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b Lee, Edmund (15 March 2017). "Film review: Vampire Cleanup Department – Babyjohn Choi, Lin Min-chen in witty salute to Hong Kong horror tradition". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Nomination and Awardees List of The 37th Hong Kong Film Awards". Hong Kong Film Awards. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b "大馬女神林明禎拍戲唔錫身". Sing Tao Daily (in Chinese). 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ a b "【#PTGF出租女友】趙善恆情迷黑寡婦 與鄧月平展曲折戀愛". TOPick (in Chinese). 15 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ a b Lee, Edmund (10 March 2021). "One Second Champion movie review: boxing drama with a fantasy twist from Vampire Cleanup Department director". South China Morning Post (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b Soriano, Jianne (16 February 2022). "Hong Kong Film Awards 2022: Full List of Nominees". Tatler Asia. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b "獨家丨趙善恆首執導劇集《和解》連登仔勁Buy 拍到暴瘦驚訝Ivy So識爆肚". Sing Tao Daily (in Chinese). 11 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "一秒拳王周國賢驚喜現身《和解在後》！方圓與Oscar價值觀越走越遠陷分手危機！8歲明仔已成人生贏家？". Channel C (in Chinese). 10 April 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b "ToNick趙善恆自揭抑鬱：我怕我真係會做傻事！去年喪父、與舊愛小花分手夾擊影響情緒". Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese). 20 February 2024. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "ToNick趙善恆跟譚杏藍結束10年情：我們還是好朋友". Ming Pao (in Chinese). 23 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "ToNick趙善恆患抑鬱疑揭遭前度背叛？舊愛小花譚杏藍：我問心無愧". Sing Tao Daily (in Chinese). 20 February 2024. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b "香港知名網路小說改編 《出租女友》揭發真實內幕". Yahoo! News (in Chinese). 27 December 2021. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ 龍華琛 (10 May 2019). "《向西聞記》：只有香港才拍得出的悲喜劇". The News Lens (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "《940920》專題(1)丨播出前熱身 重溫《二月廿九》讀熟角色介紹迎接穿越神劇". AsOne Entertainment (in Chinese). 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.