Leung Ming Kai

Leung was born in Hong Kong.^[4] His father was a taxi driver and later also operated a hi-fi shop in Sham Shui Po.^[5] Leung attended kindergarten and grew up in that area.^[5] While studying law at the University of Hong Kong, he developed his passion for films after participating in several film workshops.^[5] He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Postgraduate Certificate in Laws in 2001 and 2002, respectively, but chose not to pursue a career in law.^[6] He attended Columbia University to study filmmaking instead, and obtained a Master of Fine Arts in Film with a specialization in directing in 2006.^[7][8] His graduation project, Three Boys, won the gold prize in the 14th ifva Awards.^[7]

After graduating from Columbia University, Leung began his career as a cinematographer, making his feature debut with Thai director Anocha Suwichakornpong's 2009 drama film Mundane History.^[7] He continued to work as a cinematographer on various international projects,^[7] including the 2015 Taiwanese drama film Murmur of the Hearts.^[9][10] He also cinematographed Suwichakornpong's 2016 drama film By the Time It Gets Dark and the Chinese-Canadian drama film Old Stone,^[7][11] for which he received a nomination for Best Cinematography in the 5th Canadian Screen Awards.^[12]

In 2014, Leung participated in and documented the 2014 Hong Kong protests.^[13] Motivated by this experience, he co-wrote a screenplay draft with his wife, Kate Reilly, upon returning to the United States. The screenplay later evolved into the film Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down [zh].^[5][13] Applying for funding from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, the couple co-directed and co-wrote the anthology film.^[9][13] Leung also took on the roles of cinematographer and editor for the production.^[14] Due to political censorship by the Hong Kong government following the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests, cautionary warnings were included in the opening credits when the film was theatrically released in 2020.^[15] Reilly and Leung received the 27th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award for Best Screenplay for the film.^[3][16] After the completion of Memories to Choke On, Leung shifted his focus to Hong Kong cinema.^[5] He served as the cinematographer for the 2020 drama film Suk Suk directed by Ray Yeung.^[17][18] Leung filmed the 2021 drama film Drifting,^[19] earning him a nomination for Best Cinematography in the 58th Golden Horse Awards.^[20] He continued working as the cinematographer for the 2022 drama film The Sunny Side of the Street,^[21] earning him another nomination for Best Cinematography in the 59th Golden Horse Awards.^[22] Leung once again took on the role of cinematographer for Ray Yeung's 2024 drama film All Shall Be Well.^[23]

Leung is married to Kate Reilly in 2012, an American actress-producer he met in New York during his studies abroad in 2003.^[4][3] The couple has resided together in Hong Kong since 2015.^[4] Reily co-directed, co-wrote, co-edited, and starred in Leung's directorial debut Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down.^[10]