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Yiu-Fai Lai

Cinematographer

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 46 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 25% in 30 days

What are Yiu-Fai Lai's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
30%
Self
26%
Bonds
16%
Society
11%
Survival
9%
Power
7%
Ideas
1%
Identity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themePower3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 4 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 7 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Melancholic
10
Thrilling
5
Warm
3
Hopeful
4
Other
8

How their films linger

Bittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Yiu-Fai Lai's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Yiu-Fai Lai's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

46 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page.

  • Walk the Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Cinematographer

  • Woof Woof Daddy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Cinematographer

  • My Country, My Parents(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Iceman: The Time Traveller(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Till the End of the World(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Four 3(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Tai Chi Hero(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Tai Chi Zero(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Four(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Tree(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Dragon(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • A Beautiful Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • Flirting Scholar 2(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Plastic City(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Perfect Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Cinematographer

  • L for Love, L for Lies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Cinematographer

  • One Last Dance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Cinematographer

  • Getting Home(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Confession of Pain(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Black Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • 2 Become 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • Initial D(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • All Tomorrow's Parties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Cinematographer

  • Green Tea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Additional Camera

  • Infernal Affairs(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Avenging Fist(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • City of Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Cinematographer

  • For Bad Boys Only (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Cinematographer

  • In the Mood for Love(2000)

    Focus Puller · Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Play with Strangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Screenplay

  • Spacked Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Cinematographer

  • Love Will Tear Us Apart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • Portland Street Blues(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Happy Together(1997)

    First Assistant Camera

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Crucifixion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Focus Puller

  • Drunken Master II(1994)

    Focus Puller

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Crime Story(1993)

    Focus Puller

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Operation Condor(1991)

    Focus Puller

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Police Story 2(1988)

    Focus Puller

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Dragons Forever(1988)

    Focus Puller

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Project A 2(1987)

    Focus Puller

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Armour of God(1986)

    Focus Puller

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Police Story(1985)

    Focus Puller

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Project A(1983)

    Focus Puller

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Hengyang 1944 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

  • Mission for the Brave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Co-Director

Career shape

A full career of 43 titles, 41 of them dated from 1983 to 2024.

Biggest box office

My Country, My Parents (2021)

$222M worldwide

Highest rated

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 43: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleWriting1 of 43: 1 only writing, 0 with another roleCinematography29 of 43: 28 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score48thOther crew13 of 43: 12 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score87th

By decade

1980s6 · crew1990s7 · crew2000s17 · crew2010s8 · crew2020s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Yiu-Fai Lai's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 28; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 28 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · cinematographer

Iceman: The Time Traveller (2018)

68th percentile spread · 58% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 73/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 55. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Yiu-Fai Lai work with?

People who share at least 2 of Yiu-Fai Lai's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Wai Keung Lau shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles