# Nick Cheuk

Nick Cheuk Yick-him (Chinese: 卓亦謙; born 21 October 1987) is a Hong Kong director and screenwriter best known for his directorial debut Time Still Turns the Pages (2023), which earned him Best New Director in the 60th Golden Horse Awards and Best New Director in the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards.

## Early life and education

Cheuk was born on 21 October 1987, in Hong Kong. He is the son of Warner Cheuk, the incumbent Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong. He had his secondary education at Raimondi College, the alma mater of his father, but did not perform well academically. However, he became immersed in video editing after creating NBA highlight reels with Windows Movie Maker and received positive feedback on online forums. He also sparked interest in films after watching the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. He had poor relationships with his parents, as his father wanted him to become a lawyer or doctor instead of studying humanities subjects. Only getting 8 marks in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, his father sent him to a boarding school in Britain after Form 5. He later returned to Hong Kong and attended the City University of Hong Kong to study creative media. He was mentored by director and guest lecturer Patrick Tam, and won silver prize in the 18th Ifva Awards with his graduation project, Waiting to Drown….

## Career

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012, Cheuk worked as a writer's assistant for sports drama film Unbeatable and action thriller film That Demon Within. In 2017, Cheuk wrote the horror film Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight [zh], which was his first credited screenplay. He also co-wrote action thriller film Paradox with Jill Leung in the same year.
In 2019, Cheuk applied for and received funding from the Hong Kong Film Development Council's "First Feature Film Initiative" with a screenplay draft of Time Still Turns the Pages. He penned the script in 2015 based on the death of a close friend and university classmate, but altered certain aspects of his friend's experiences to delve into the concerning phenomenon of student suicides in Hong Kong. Cheuk also served as the director and co-editor of the film. The film has gained critical acclaim for its subject matter, atmosphere and writing. Cheuk won Best New Director in the 60th Golden Horse Awards and Best New Director in the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards, as well as nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing in the latter.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Writer | Director | Editor |
| 2011 | Waiting to Drown… | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2013 | Unbeatable | Assistant | No | No |
| 2014 | That Demon Within | Assistant | No | No |
| 2017 | Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight [zh] | Yes | No | No |
| 2017 | Paradox | Yes | No | No |
| 2023 | Time Still Turns the Pages | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2023 | 25th Golden Goblet Awards | Best Director | Time Still Turns the Pages | Nominated |
| 2023 | 60th Golden Horse Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Time Still Turns the Pages | Nominated |
| 2023 | 60th Golden Horse Awards | Best Film Editing | Time Still Turns the Pages | Nominated |
| 2023 | 60th Golden Horse Awards | Best New Director | Time Still Turns the Pages | Won |
| 2024 | 30th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award | Best Director | Time Still Turns the Pages | Nominated |
| 2024 | 30th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award | Best Screenplay | Time Still Turns the Pages | Nominated |
| 2024 | 17th Asian Film Awards | Best New Director | Time Still Turns the Pages | Won |
| 2024 | 17th Asian Film Awards | Best Editing | Time Still Turns the Pages | Nominated |
| 2024 | 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Director | Time Still Turns the Pages | Nominated |
| 2024 | 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Time Still Turns the Pages | Nominated |
| 2024 | 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Editing | Time Still Turns the Pages | Nominated |
| 2024 | 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards | Best New Director | Time Still Turns the Pages | Won |