Cheng Yu-chieh (born November 27, 1977) is a Taiwanese director, a screenwriter and an actor. His first feature film Do Over (一年之初) in 2006 won the top prize in Taipei Film Festival and was invited to various international film festivals and gained Cheng international attention.
Besides being a screenwriter and director, Cheng is also known as an actor. In 2008 his portrayal of the police officer, Pan Shi-yuan, in Wang Shaudi's TV drama Police et vous (波麗士大人) was highly appreciated by the audience. Additionally, in 2009, he played Xu Fang-Guo in Chen Hui-Ling's TV drama Autumn's concerto (下一站，幸福) .
Cheng Yu-chieh's second feature film, Yang Yang (陽陽), was released on August 7, 2009, and was selected for the Berlin Film Festival. In 2010, Cheng Yu-chieh wrote and directed a five-episode mini-series entitled They explode the day before graduation (他們在畢業的前一天爆炸), which premiered on Public Television Service (公視). The mini-series received eight nominations at the 46th Golden Bell Awards in 2011, winning five major awards, including Cheng Yu-chieh's Mini-Series/Movie Screenplay Award.
On April 5, 2012, Cheng founded the Filmosa Pictures Production Company (一期一會影像製作有限公司), producing films, stage shows, music videos, etc.
Early life Cheng Yu-chieh began to participate in filmmaking while he was a student at National Taiwan University majoring in Economics. He starred in a few student films and attempted scriptwriting. His then wrote, directed, and acted in his first short film Baby face, which won the Special Jury Prize at the 2002 Taipei Film Festival for Student Film Golden Lion Awards. His 2001 short film Summer, dream (石碇的夏天) won multiple awards, including Best Short Film at the 38th Golden Horse Awards and Best Narrative Feature at the 2002 Taipei Film Awards.
Cheng was able to procure NT$8 million of subsidy from the Taiwanese government's film funding program to make his first feature film Do over, which is based on his award winning script (the 26th Excellent Screenplay Awards in 2003).
Cheng Yu-chieh and his wife Dai Hai-lun were married in June 2008. Dai Hai-Lun also works in the film industry and has served as the Director of the Domestic Affairs Department of the Golden Horse Awards.
Cheng Yu-chieh's father is an overseas Chinese living in Japan. Cheng learned Japanese from a young age and is fluent in the language. He is also the translator of the Chinese version of the Japanese novel Still Walking.
Filmography +Short filmYearChinese titleEnglish title2000私顏Baby Face2001石碇的夏天Summer, Dream2011潛規則（）Unwritten rules in Ten Plus Ten +FilmYearChinese titleEnglish title2006一年之初DO OVER2009陽陽Yang Yang2015太陽的孩子Panay2020親愛的房客Dear Tenant2025南方時光Before the Bright Day
+TV showYearChinese titleEnglish title2010他們在畢業的前一天爆炸Days we stared at the sun2017他們在畢業的前一天爆炸2Days we stared at the sun II +Television filmYearChinese titleEnglish title2012野蓮香My Little Honey Moon2017老海人洛馬比克Old Seafarer
Acting +Short filmYearChinese titleEnglish titleRole2000私顏Baby Face2001愛我在今宵Love Me Tonight2005海巡尖兵The Pain of OthersThe senior soldier2007爸爸的手指頭Father's FingerGrown-up A-Gui (阿貴)2017繁花盛開BlossomLena2018再會！方舟Farewell to the ArkJie (阿杰)2019最後一眼The Last GazeThe husband2019小洋The Child of Nowhere Li Ying-Shen (李英伸)2019陽關太平Rest in MistAxiong (阿雄)2021錦鯉墜落Falling Koi2021午後的懸涯Afternoon on the Cliff +TV seriesYearChinese titleEnglish titleRole2008波麗士大人Police et VousPan Shih-yuan (潘士淵)2009下一站，幸福Autumn's ConcertoXu Fang-kuo (許方國)2014流氓蛋糕店CHOCOLATYe Da-ren (葉達人)2019鏡子森林The MirrorHuang Kuo-wei (黃國偉)2021超感應學園Sometimes When we TouchChief Chang2021天橋上的魔術師The Magician on the SkywalkThe special agent2022我願意The Amazing Grace of ΣPresident Chang2025零日攻擊Zero Day +TelevisionYearChinese titleEnglish titleRole2009公視人生劇展－垃圾魚Life story: Le-se yu/Garbage fishHao Fu-zu (郝富足)2011公視學生劇展－我的拼湊家庭Innovative story: My Transformed FamilyA-Ming (阿銘)公視學生劇展－下落村的來電Innovative story: The Blackout VillageWorker of Taiwan Power Company2014公視學生劇展－大象的手指會跳舞Innovative story: Lemon GrassTeacher Zhou (周老師)2020格瑞特真相The Greater GoodChao Si-yuan 趙思源2021公視人生劇展－濱西小鎮Life Stories: Left BehindZhang Yan-bo (張彥博) +Stage showYearChinese titleEnglish titleRole2019時光の手箱：我的阿爸和卡桑A Suitcase of MemoriesYan Hui-min (顏惠民)
Awards and honors +YearAwardCategoryWorkOutcome200138nd Golden Horse AwardsBest short filmSummer, dream2002Taipei Film AwardsBest narrative feature2006Taipei Film AwardsAudience Choice AwardDO OVERNT$1 million Grand Prize43rd Golden Horse AwardsFormosa Film Award2009Taipei Film AwardsSpecial Jury AwardYang Yang201146th Golden Bell AwardsMini-Series/Movie Screenplay AwardDays we stared at the sun2015Taipei Film AwardsAudience Choice AwardWawa no cidal201853rd Golden Bell AwardsBest MiniseriesDays we stared at the sun IIBest Directing for a Miniseries or Television Film202057th Golden Horse AwardsBest original screenplayDear tenant
Political concerns Cheng Yu-chieh is straightforward with his political views in his films in interviews. In 2011, his short film Unwritten rules in Ten Plus Ten, which was supported by Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee, revealed his concern about the inevitable political consequences of embracing China's film market: loss of creative freedom. Wawa No Cidal (2015), a film Cheng co-directed with Lekal Sumi Cilangasan, is critical of the government's economic development plan that did not take into consideration the destruction of the environment and the indigenous people in the east coast of Taiwan. His TV series, Days We Stared at The Sun II, is set between 2013 and 2017, after the Sunflower Student Movement. When being asked whether he would compromise or revise his future works due to political considerations, he answered that “What motivated me is faith, not fear. I would not let fear decide my future.”
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