Clara Law studied film at the National Film School, England after graduating from Hong Kong University in English Literature. Upon returning to Hong Kong she crafted a number of internationally acclaimed features including Autumn Moon (winner of Golden Leopard at Locarno, Best Picture from the European Art Theatres Association, and Youth Special Jury Award in Switzerland, 1992) and Temptation of a Monk (in competition at Venice 1993 and Grand Prix at Creteil 1994).
She moved to Australia in 1995 and continued to win many international awards with films including Floating Life (Silver Leopard at Locarno, Best Film and Best Director at Gijon, Grand Prix at Creteil, Grand Prix at Asturias, 1996), The Goddess of 1967 (Best Actress Award at Venice, Best Director at Chicago, Best Director at Teplice Artfilm, FIPRESCI Critics’ Award Best Film at Tromso, 2000), Letters to Ali (credited among the 100 greatest films of Australian cinema by the critics), Like a Dream (opening film at Hong Kong Film Festival 2010), and Red Earth (commissioned by the HKIFF, in competition at Venice 2010). Drifting Petals, a bold feature exploring the possibility of alternate cinema shot in Australia, Hong Kong and Macau, won the Best Director Award in the Golden Horse International Film Festival 2021. Through the years her films have had many nominations in the Golden Horse International Film Festival, the Hong Kong Film Awards and the AACTA Awards and have been selected in many international film festivals including those in New York, Venice, Toronto, Sundance, Locarno, Rotterdam, Busan, Jerusalem and London.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and emerging. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.