Derek Tsang

Derek Tsang (曾国祥), born November 8, 1979, is from Hong Kong. His father is the well-known Hong Kong entertainer Eric Tsang (曾志伟). His family includes two sisters, 曾宝仪 and 曾咏仪, and a younger brother, 曾国犹. After finishing university, Tsang returned to Hong Kong and worked at Peter Chan’s company, initially doing errands and entry-level tasks — running errands, serving as script supervisor, buying coffee, delivering copies, ordering takeout, operating the clapperboard, etc. He gradually moved up to production assistant and assistant director roles.

In 2001 Tsang made his film debut as a lead in Ghost Love Letter (幽灵情书), playing the character A-si, officially marking his entry into the entertainment industry. In 2002 he appeared in the comedy Golden Chicken (金鸡) as a blind client; that film starred Sandra Ng, Eric Tsang and Andy Lau, and it was his first collaboration with his father. In 2003 he played Dan, a friend of the female lead Xin, in the horror-suspense film The Cursed Park (咒乐园). In 2004 he appeared in the suspense-crime TV drama Female Detective Academy (also known as Girls’ Dormitory, 女子刑侦学院/女生宿舍), portraying Ah Jay, who is deeply in love with the heroine Du Bi — his first television role.

In 2005 Tsang acted in the youth comedy AV Dream Factory (AV梦工厂) as college student Ho Po-wah, nicknamed “Tape.” In 2006 he played a suitor of the female lead Cheung Bik-yin in the drama Isabella (伊莎贝拉). He subsequently appeared in several films including Single Tribe (单身部落, 2007), A Good Father (一个好爸爸, 2007), Crazy for Love (为爱痴狂, 2008) and Intimacy (亲密, 2009), gradually establishing his footing in the film industry.

Tsang made his directorial debut in 2010 with the romance film Lovers’ Discourse (恋人絮语), which earned him a Best New Director nomination at the 47th Golden Horse Awards. He later co-directed the short film The Nail Clipper Maniac (指甲钳人魔) with Yim Chi-man, adapted from a novel by Pang Ho-cheung. In 2012 he had a cameo as the younger brother of the character played by Yoyo Chen in Pang Ho-cheung’s Love in the Buff (春娇与志明), and he also appeared in the triad-themed film Zha Zhi (扎职). In 2013 he starred in Tiger Raid (飞虎出征) and appeared in a segment of the Macau-themed anthology film Macau Street (澳门街).

From 2014 Tsang continued to take part in multiple films, including Z Storm (反贪风暴), From Vegas to Macau II (澳门风云2) and Golden Chicken SSS (金鸡SSS). In 2016 he directed the youth-romance film Soul Mate (七月与安生), which received numerous awards and nominations, including a Best Director nomination at the Golden Horse Awards. In 2017 he won Best Director from the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild for Soul Mate and received nominations for Best Director and Best New Director at the 36th Hong Kong Film Awards; he also received several honors at events such as the Weibo Movie Night and the MAHB annual gala.

In 2019 Tsang directed Better Days (少年的你), a film that drew widespread attention and earned him a Best Director nomination at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2020 the film won several honors, including Hong Kong Film Awards recognition for Best Director. In 2021 he directed the first episode of Netflix’s adaptation of The Three-Body Problem (三体), expanding his international influence. That same year he was selected for the Shanghai Young Filmmakers Support Program and served as the director for the first episode of Netflix’s The Three-Body Problem. In 2024 he was a jury member for the pitch forum at the 14th Beijing International Film Festival and took part in an in-depth dialogue with director Hirokazu Kore-eda.

Tsang’s career spans acting, directing and producing. He has received numerous awards in both the commercial and academic film worlds and is regarded as a director with a diverse stylistic range.