--- name: "Alan Mak" canonical: "https://film.one/person/alan-mak-siu-fai" fi1m_id: "alan-mak-siu-fai" imdb_id: "nm0538320" tmdb_id: 66718 wikidata_id: "Q4707232" roles: ["Writer","Director"] born: "1 January 1965" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_as: "writer" average_over: 1 updated: "2026-09-17T22:48:30.929596+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Alan Mak ## Identity Alan Mak - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/alan-mak-siu-fai - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** alan-mak-siu-fai - **IMDb ID:** nm0538320 - **TMDB ID:** 66718 - **Wikidata ID:** Q4707232 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Mak_(director), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4707232, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0538320/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/66718 Writer and director. Born 1 January 1965 in Hong Kong, China. ## Details - **Work:** Writer, Director - **Born:** 1 January 1965, Hong Kong, China - **Active:** 2002–2006 - **Also known as:** Alan Mak Siu-Fai, 麥兆輝, 麦兆辉, Mak Siu-Fai - **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 directing, 1 writing - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Mak_(director), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4707232, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0538320/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/66718 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*Infernal Affairs*](https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs.md) (87) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Alan Mak > Alan Mak Siu-Fai makes the effort of looking trustworthy feel dangerous. We rate his precise crime storytelling highly, with *Infernal Affairs* the clearest case for it, though the script sometimes makes its parallels too tidy. In *Infernal Affairs* (2002), getting information to the right person can be as dangerous as obtaining it. A policeman inside a criminal organisation and a criminal inside the police must each be helpful without giving themselves away. Alan Mak Siu-Fai and co-director Andrew Lau Wai-Keung keep us watching the effort that takes, rather than treating concealment as a convenient premise. We held our breath during the exchanges of information because every successful message risked exposing its sender. Mak's screenplay with Felix Chong Man-Keung ties the two men's jobs together: a gain for one puts the other in trouble. Danny Pang Phat and Curran Pang's editing keeps those competing efforts clear without making the next move obvious. The directors give Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai room to make the strain personal. Occasionally the parallels are too tidy, and we become aware of how carefully the two lives have been matched. The performances keep that tidiness from draining away the fear. That film was the breakthrough after Mak's directing debut, *Nude Fear* (1998), and the *Infernal Affairs* trilogy (2002–2003) established his reputation. The continuing partnerships with Lau and Chong matter to how we understand the work: this is shared filmmaking, and its precision cannot sensibly be credited to one man. The manga adaptation *Initial D* (2005) took him beyond crime stories. *Confession of Pain* (2006) brought the core *Infernal Affairs* team back together with Tony Leung. *Overheard* (2009) began a series of financial-crime thrillers with Chong, running to 2014. Later directing work includes *Extraordinary Mission* (2017), *Integrity* (2019) and *The Procurator* (2023). For us, another complicated plot is only worth the trouble if the actors have something to do beyond keeping its secrets. Begin with *Infernal Affairs*; the rest of the trilogy can wait for another evening. ## Biography Alan Mak Siu-fai, also credited as Alan Mak or 麥兆輝, is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, actor and producer. Born on 1 January 1965 in Hong Kong, he studied at the School of Drama of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 1986 and graduated in 1990. He began his career as an assistant director before making his feature directorial debut with *Nude Fear* (1998). Mak is best known for his frequent collaborations with director Andrew Lau and screenwriter Felix Chong. He co-directed and co-wrote the *Infernal Affairs* trilogy (2002–2003), winning Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay for the first film. Other credits include co-directing *Initial D* (2005), the *Overheard* series (2009–2014) and *The Lost Bladesman* (2011). He has also received a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Screenplay for *Overheard 3* (2014). *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) ### Directed (1) - *Infernal Affairs* (2002), Fi1m 87, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs.md) ### Wrote (1) — the average rests on these - *The Departed* (2006), Fi1m 84, Other, Original Film Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-departed.md) ## Complete filmography (49) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Under Current* (2025), Director, Screenplay - *The Procurator* (2023), Writer, Director - *Integrity* (2019), Director, Screenplay - *Extraordinary Mission* (2017), Director - *Infernal Affairs* (2016), series, Director - *I Am Somebody* (2015), as Alan Mak - *Two Thumbs Up* (2015), as Tsui Po On - *Overheard 3* (2014), Director, Writer - *The Silent War* (2012), Director, Writer - *Overheard 2* (2011), Writer, Director, Story, Screenplay - *The Lost Bladesman* (2011), Director, Writer - *Once a Gangster* (2010), Producer - *Overheard* (2009), Director, Screenplay - *All's Well, End's Well 2009* (2009), as Wedding Guest (uncredited) - *Lady Cop & Papa Crook* (2008), Director, Writer - *Simply Actors* (2007), as Alan Mak - *Confession of Pain* (2006), Writer, Director - *The Departed* (2006), Original Film Writer, Other — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-departed.md) - *无间道正序版* (2006), Director, Writer - *Moonlight in Tokyo* (2005), Director, Writer - *Initial D* (2005), Director - *Infernal Affairs III* (2003), Director, Writer - *Infernal Affairs II* (2003), Director, Screenplay - *1:99 Shorts* (2003), Director - *Infernal Affairs* (2002), Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs.md) - *Love Undercover* (2002), as Police psychologist - *Dance of a Dream* (2001), Associate Producer - *Stolen Love* (2001), Director - *Horror Hotline... Big Head Monster* (2001), as Officer Mak - *Feel 100% II* (2001), Actor - *Final Romance* (2001), Director - *Fighting for Love* (2001), Actor - *A War Named Desire* (2000), Director, Writer - *Double Tap* (2000), as Shooting Umpire - *Rave Fever* (1999), Director - *Gen-X Cops* (1999), as Correctional Officer - *Your Place or Mine!* (1998), as Mut · ICN manager - *Nude Fear* (1998), Director - *He Comes From Planet K* (1997), as KK - *Downtown Torpedoes* (1997), Assistant Art Director - *Feel 100%... Once More* (1996), Actor - *Lost and Found* (1996), as Keung · Assistant Director - *Somebody Up There Likes Me* (1996), as Policeman - *The Golden Girls* (1995), as Assistant Director - *Heaven Can't Wait* (1995), as Party Guest - *Loving You* (1995), as Waiter - *In the Heat of Summer* (1994), Actor - *Love Recipe* (1994), Actor - *Sex Racecourse* (1992), Assistant Director ## Awards ### Other awards — 1 won - Golden Horse Award for Best Director 2003: Golden Horse Award for Best Director (won), for *Infernal Affairs* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/alan-mak-siu-fai