| Tim Chey | |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Film director, screenwriter, film producer |
Timothy A. Chey is an American film producer, writer and director. Among his films are Fakin' da Funk, Gone, Impact: The Passion of the Christ, Suing the Devil, The Genius Club, Live Fast, Die Young, Final the Rapture, Epic Journey, Freedom, David and Goliath, and Slamma Jamma.[1]
Chey was educated at Harvard Business School and Boston University School of Law doing a joint J.D./M.B.A. He earlier attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and then got accepted to USC Film School as an undergrad.[1] [2] [3]
Chey has been interviewed on Fox Morning News, NBC News, TBN, Entertainment Tonight, Lamb and Lions, Good News TV. His work has been reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, VIBE TV, MTV, Daily Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, TNT, USA Networks, the Dove Awards, MovieGuide Awards, People, and The New York Times.[4]
Chey is a devout Christian. When not making films, Chey is active in helping with the prison ministries, nursing home ministries, and speaking at colleges, churches, and film festivals. Chey worked as a lawyer before pursuing film full-time and still does pro bono law for charities like the Union Rescue Mission.[5] He and his wife have two children and divide their time between Los Angeles and Honolulu.
In 1997, he wrote and directed Fakin' da Funk about a Chinese boy growing up in an African-American neighborhood,.[6] starring among others Pam Grier, Bo Jackson, and Nell Carter[7] for USA Networks.[1] The film was nominated for the Golden Starfish Award at the 1997 Hamptons International Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 1997 Urbanworld Film Festival.[8] The film was the highest-rated movie on USA Networks in 2000.[9]
In 2002, Chey finished the feature film Gone, a movie about three lawyers who deal with the Rapture.[1] While working with films at USC, Chey was the recipient of the prestigious "Spirit of the Independent" award for Best Director.[1]
In 2004, Chey flew around the world to make the feature documentary Impact: The Passion of the Christ that looked at the impact of the movie The Passion of the Christ around the world.[1] [10] "Impact" had its debut in Dallas at the American Film Renaissance festival.[11]
In 2006, he finished writing and directing The Genius Club.[12] starring Stephen Baldwin, Tom Sizemore,[13] Jack Scalia, and Paula Jai Parker. In 2008, he finished his fifth film, Live Fast, Die Young, about an A-list star who dies at a Hollywood party and a group of 10 Hollywood insiders seeking redemption in the aftermath.[1]
In 2010, he wrote and directed Suing the Devil (starring Malcolm McDowell, Tom Sizemore, Rebecca St. James) about a guy who sues the devil for $8 trillion. The film was awarded the 5 Star Dove Award.[14] The film was one of the most illegally downloaded indie movies in history.[15]
In 2012, Chey wrote and directed Final the Rapture in four countries.[16]
In 2012, Chey embarked on a 31-country (including Japan, Brazil, Argentina, China, United Kingdom, Egypt, Dubai, Peru, Hong Kong, et al.) journey for The Epic Journey, a film that shows people whose lives were changed by God.[17] The film premiered on prime-time television on Daystar TV reaching over 80 million households. The film was submitted to Guinness World Records for most countries filmed in a movie.[18]
In 2013, Chey also wrote and produced Freedom, based on the early life of John Newton. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., William Sadler, and Sharon Leal.[19] The film premiered on Showtime Network to 55 million homes on prime-time.[20]
In 2014, Chey wrote, produced and directed David and Goliath that was shot in North Africa and finished in studios in London.[21]
In 2016, Chey produced and directed "Slamma Jamma" that was released nationwide in theaters in 281 cities on March 24, 2017. The film was the third-widest release in the nation.[22] The film stars 5-time slam-dunk champion Chris Staples, Michael Irvin, Jose Canseco, et al. The film is about a man who finds God in prison and wins the national slam dunk competition against all odds.
In 2017, Chey is producing and directing "The Islands" which is the biggest movie on Hawaii history and is based on the incredible true stories of Hawaii's beginnings from Captain Cook's arrival to King Kamehameha's unification wars through the chaotic last months of the monarchy of Queen Liliʻuokalani.[23] The film was scheduled to release on 3,000 theaters in November 2018, but that release date has been repeatedly pushed back and is now slotted for September 2019.[24]
Chey wrote, produced and directed 20 Minutes, a film set during the 2018 Hawaii false missile alert. First set to be released in 2020 https://timchey.medium.com/what-would-you-do-if-you-had-20-minutes-to-live-from-director-tim-chey-39ef53b5880, it was finally released in 2023. The film tells the story of twelve people's reactions to the text alert sent, in error, by the state, warning of an imminent nuclear strike.
| Film | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Fakin' da Funk | 1997 | |
| Gone | 2002 | |
| Impact | 2004 | |
| The Genius Club | 2006 | |
| Live Fast, Die Young | 2008[27] | |
| Suing the Devil | 2011 | |
| Final: The Rapture | 2013 | |
| David and Goliath | 2014 | |
| Freedom | 2015 | |
| Epic Journey | 2015 | |
| Slamma Jamma | 2017 | |
| The Islands | 2019 | |
| The Firing Squad | 2024[28] |