Irving Cheung was born Cheung Yee-man in 1982 in Hong Kong.[1][2] She has two sisters, both of whom studied film and pursued careers in the industry.[3] Her eldest sister Purcy became a film producer, while her second sister Connie became a production designer in Hollywood.[3] Cheung developed an interest in filmmaking after visiting her sisters' production sets at a young age, and became passionate about photography during secondary school.[4] She credits Wong Kar-wai's films as a major influence on her aesthetics.[4][5] Cheung studied abroad in Northern Ireland from the age of 11,[4][6] and began working on her sisters' projects upon returning to Hong Kong during summer holidays since 15, which she considers valuable experience for her future in the film industry.[3] She also suffered from scoliosis and underwent vertebral fixation surgery at the age of 15.[3][7] Cheung earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts London.[2][4] She and her family are survivors of the 7 July 2005 London bombings, where they were traveling in London at the time of the attacks.[3] In 2015, she began studying for a part-time master's degree at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, graduating with a Master of Fine Arts in 2017.[2][8]
In 2017, Cheung collaborated with Scud again on his drama Thirty Years of Adonis.[4] She worked as both the production and costume designer for Chapman To's karate-themed sports film The Empty Hands [zh],[15] receiving her second nomination for Best Art Direction in the 37th Hong Kong Film Awards.[16] Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter praised Cheung's production design as "impeccable", providing "a warm, tactile tone" for the film;[15] while Lo Wai-keung of HK01 also commended Cheung's work on the Japanese dojo, noting that it was "full of charm".[17] In the same year, she underwent another surgery for her scoliosis, which affected her ability to work continuously, prompting her to reduce her film commitments.[18] In 2018, she wrote her first screenplay and joined the First Feature Film Initiative later in 2021.[19] Cheung worked on Sunny Chan's drama Men On The Dragon [zh],[20] followed by dual roles as production and costume designer for the drama Tracey,[21] earning nominations for both Best Art Direction and Best Costume Make Up Design in the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards.[22]
After a hiatus due to COVID-19 pandemic and her pregnancy,[19] Cheung worked as the production designer on the 2021 drama The Way We Keep Dancing [zh] and the 2022 horror film Social Distancing [zh].[8][23] She then served as production designer for Sunny Chan's film Table for Six, released in 2022.[24] Due to budget constraints, her crew completed the main set—a city apartment—in just 16 days.[25] Tara Judah of Screen Daily lauded Cheung's "colorful production design", which made the city apartment that serves as the film's sole set "feel like a lively playroom".[24] She received another nomination for Best Art Direction in the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards.[26] Cheung also founded a production company Mitsu Visual in the same year.[27] In 2023, she served as the production designer for Nick Cheuk's directorial debut Time Still Turns the Pages,[28] which earned her a fifth nomination for Best Art Direction in the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards.[29] She reprised her role as production designer in Table for Six's 2024 sequel Table for Six 2 [zh].[30]
Personal life
Cheung was married for three years and divorced in 2018.[8][31] She gave birth to a daughter in 2020.[32][33]
