Editing Wayne Wang

{{short description|Hong Kong–born American film director (born 1949)}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Wang (surname)|Wang]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{infobox person
| name               = Wayne Wang
| image              = DIMSUM25.jpg
| alt                =
| caption            = Wang in 1983
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1949|1|12}}
| birth_place        = [[British Hong Kong]]
| alma_mater         = [[California College of the Arts]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Director|producer|screenwriter}}
| years_active       = 1975–present
| spouse             = [[Cora Miao]]
| module             = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes
| t = 王穎
| s = 王颖
}}
}}
[[File:Wayne Wang 1981 San Francisco.tif|thumb|Wang in San Francisco, 1981]]
[[File:WayneWang1983.jpg|thumb|Preparing a scene from ''Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart'']]
[[File:Wayne WANG in 1981, San Francisco.jpg|thumb|San Francisco's Cannery Cinema screens ''Chan Is Missing'' in 1982.]]
[[File:CHANISMISSING1981SF.tif|thumb|Wang with Wood Moy, Peter Wang and Marc Hayashi, 1981]]

'''Wayne Wang''' ({{zh|t=王穎|s=王颖|first=t|p=Wáng Yǐng|j=Wong4 Wing6}}; born January 12, 1949) is a [[Hong Kong Americans|Hong Kong-American]] film director, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of [[Asian American|Asian-American]] cinema, he was one of the first [[Chinese American|Chinese-American]] filmmakers to gain a major foothold in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]. His films, often [[independent film|independently produced]], deal with issues of contemporary Asian-American culture and domestic life.

His best known works include ''[[Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart]]'' (1985), ''[[Eat a Bowl of Tea (film)|Eat a Bowl of Tea]]'' (1989), the [[Amy Tan]] literary adaptation ''[[The Joy Luck Club (film)|The Joy Luck Club]]'' (1993), ''[[Chinese Box]]'' (1997), and ''[[A Thousand Years of Good Prayers]]'' (2007). Other films include the [[Harvey Keitel]] and [[William Hurt]]–starring comedy ''[[Smoke (film)|Smoke]]'' (1995), the family film ''[[Because of Winn-Dixie (film)|Because of Winn-Dixie]]'' (2005), the romantic comedies ''[[Maid in Manhattan]]'' (2002) and ''[[Last Holiday (2006 film)|Last Holiday]]'' (2006), and the controversial erotic drama ''[[The Center of the World]]'' (2001).

He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a [[Bodil Awards|Bodil Award]], a [[Silver Bear]], two [[Golden Shell]]s, with [[BAFTA Award]], [[Sundance Grand Jury Prize|Sundance Grand Jury]], [[Golden Lion]], and [[César Award]] nominations.

==Biography==
Wang was born and raised in [[Hong Kong]], and named after his father's favorite movie star, [[John Wayne]].<ref name=times>Lim, Dennis. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/movies/14lim.html?ex=1379476800&en=ffb70de38d3d956f&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink Wayne Wang, Bridging Generations and Hemispheres]." ''[[New York Times]]''. 12 September 2008.</ref> When he was 17, his parents arranged for him to move to the [[United States]] to study, to prepare for medical school. Wang, however, soon put this plan aside when his "eyes were completely opened" by new experience. He turned to the arts,<ref name=times/> studying film and television at [[California College of Arts and Crafts]] in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]].<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last=Mitchell |first=Elvis |author-link=Elvis Mitchell |author2=Ed. Lia Chang |year=2000 |title=Fade to Black With Auteur Wayne Wang |url=http://asianweek.com/2001_08_10/arts_wang.html |url-status=dead |journal=[[AsianWeek]] |issue=10 Aug – 16 Aug |issn=0195-2056 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214234458/http://www.asianweek.com/2001_08_10/arts_wang.html |archive-date=2007-12-14 |access-date=2025-03-17 |quote="Born and raised in Hong Kong, Wayne Wang came to the United States at the age of 17 to study painting, filmmaking and TV production at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, Calif."}}</ref>

After graduating from film school, Wang returned to Hong Kong and briefly worked on a popular soap opera before being fired and returning to the United States.<ref name=":0" /> Here he taught English to new immigrants in Chinatown.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Wayne Wang and [[Hua Hsu]] |date=January 2022 |type=Video |language=en-US |publisher=[[Criterion Collection]]}}</ref>

Wang has also worked within the mainstream Hollywood studio system on the films [[The Joy Luck Club (film)|The Joy Luck Club]] (1993), [[Maid in Manhattan]] (2002). Despite these being his some of his most financially successful films,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayne Wang - Box Office |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/person/148760401-Wayne-Wang#tab=technical&all_technical_credits=od3 |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=The Numbers}}</ref> Wang has described the experience as largely negative, and after the production of [[Last Holiday (2006 film)|Last Holiday]] (2006 film) resolved to work exclusively on independent productions.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Hsu |first=Hua |date=2022-06-05 |title=How Wayne Wang Faces Failure |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/how-wayne-wang-faces-failure |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref> Wang has also collaborated with the author [[Paul Auster]] on the films [[Smoke (film)|Smoke]] (1995) and [[Anywhere but Here (film)|Anywhere but Here]] (1999),<ref name=":1" /> which deviated from his typical subject matter of Asian American life. 

In 2001 Wang released his film [[The Center of the World]] without a [[Motion Picture Association|MPAA]] rating because he refused to make cuts to the films sexually explicit scenes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Indiewire |date=2001-03-15 |title=DAILY NEWS : New Wang Film Unrated; Microcinema Continues; and Chediak Chats |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/daily-news-new-wang-film-unrated-microcinema-continues-and-chediak-chats-81081/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}</ref> Wang has said the films commercial and critical failure set his career back and led him to work on less personal films<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yu |first=Brandon |date=2022-05-05 |title=Wayne Wang Still Isn’t Satisfied |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/movies/wayne-wang.html |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

He won the [[Golden Shell]] at the [[San Sebastian Film Festival]] in September 2007 for ''[[A Thousand Years of Good Prayers]]''.

In 2016, he won a [[Lifetime achievement award|Lifetime Achievement Award]] at the [[San Diego Asian Film Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pacarts.org/sdaff-award-winners/|title=SDAFF Award Winners {{!}} Pacific Arts Movement|website=pacarts.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-04-27|archive-date=2018-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419122146/http://pacarts.org/sdaff-award-winners/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Personal life==
He is married to actress [[Cora Miao]], a former [[Miss Hong Kong]]. They live in [[San Francisco]] and [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hsu |first=Hua |date=2022-06-05 |title=How Wayne Wang Faces Failure |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/how-wayne-wang-faces-failure |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117043304/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/how-wayne-wang-faces-failure |archive-date=January 17, 2024 |access-date=2024-03-08 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title!! Notes
|-
|1975
|''[[A Man, a Woman, and a Killer]]''
|Co-director with Rick Schmidt
|-
|1982
|''[[Chan Is Missing]]''
|[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association|Los Angeles Film Critics Association Independent Film and Video Award]]<br>Nominated—[[Three Continents Festival|Golden Montgolfiere]]
|-
|1985
|''[[Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart]]''
|Nominated—[[BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Film|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign-Language Film]]<br>Nominated—[[Sundance Grand Jury Prize|Sundance Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic]]
|-
|1987
|''[[Slam Dance (film)|Slam Dance]]''
|Nominated—[[Deauville American Film Festival|Deauville Critics Award]]
|-
|1988
|''Dim Sum Take Out''
|Outtakes from Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart
|-
| rowspan="2" |1989
|''[[Eat a Bowl of Tea (film)|Eat a Bowl of Tea]]''
|
|-
|''[[Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive]]''
|[[International Film Festival Rotterdam|Rotterdam KNF Award]]
|-
|1992
|''[[Strangers (1992 film)|Strangers]]''
|Segment: "Small Sounds and Tilting Shadows"
|-
|1993
|''[[The Joy Luck Club (film)|The Joy Luck Club]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1995
|''[[Smoke (film)|Smoke]]''
|[[Silver Berlin Bear|Berlin Silver Bear]]<br>[[Silver Condor Award for Best Foreign Film]]<br>[[Bodil Award for Best American Film]]<br>[[Robert Award for Best Foreign Film]]<br>Nominated—[[Golden Berlin Bear]]<br>Nominated—[[César Award for Best Foreign Film]]<br>Nominated—[[David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film]]<br>Nominated—[[Nastro d'Argento|Nastro d'Argento for Best Foreign Director]]
|-
|''[[Blue in the Face]]''
|Co-director with [[Paul Auster]]
|-
|1997
|''[[Chinese Box]]''
|Nominated—[[Golden Lion|Golden Venice Lion]]<br>Nominated—[[Seminci|Seminci Golden Spike]]
|-
|1999
|''[[Anywhere but Here (film)|Anywhere but Here]]''
|
|-
|2001
|''[[The Center of the World]]''
|
|-
|2002
|''[[Maid in Manhattan]]''
|
|-
|2005
|''[[Because of Winn-Dixie (film)|Because of Winn-Dixie]]''
|
|-
|2006
|''[[Last Holiday (2006 film)|Last Holiday]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2007
|''[[The Princess of Nebraska]]''
|
|-
|''[[A Thousand Years of Good Prayers]]''
|[[Golden Shell|Golden Shell for Best Film]]<br>[[Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos|CEC Award for Best Film]]<br>[[SIGNIS|SIGNIS Award]]
|-
|2009
|''Chinatown Film Project''
|Film exhibition at [[Museum of Chinese in America]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mocanyc.org/visit/events/chinatown_film_project|title=Chinatown Film Project {{!}} Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)|website=www.mocanyc.org|access-date=2019-11-10|archive-date=2017-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702212800/http://www.mocanyc.org/visit/events/chinatown_film_project|url-status=dead}}</ref><br>Segment: "Tuesday"
|-
|2011
|''[[Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (film)|Snow Flower and the Secret Fan]]''
|[[Chinese American Film Festival|Golden Angel Award for Outstanding Film]]
|-
|2014
|''[[Soul of a Banquet]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Soul-of-a-Banquet-Wayne-Wang-s-documentary-5794633.php|title='Soul of a Banquet': Wayne Wang's documentary on Cecilia Chiang|author=G. Allen Johnson|date=October 1, 2014|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|access-date=May 20, 2017}}</ref>''
|[[Documentary film]]
|-
|2016
|''[[While the Women Are Sleeping]]''
|
|-
| 2019 ||''[[Coming Home Again]]''
|Nominated—[[Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival|Tallinn Jury Prize for Best Director]]<br>Nominated—[[Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival|Tallinn Grand Prize for Best Film]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|0911061|Wayne Wang}}
* [http://www.subtitledonline.com/special-features/wayne-wang Interview with Wayne Wang October 2011] at subtitledonline.com
* [https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/New-look-of-Asian-American-films-Festival-opens-2867480.php "New look of Asian American films / Festival opens with edgy 'Better Luck Tomorrow,' honors 'Chan Is Missing{{'"}}], ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''

{{Wayne Wang}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Wayne}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American film directors of Hong Kong descent]]
[[Category:American film editors]]
[[Category:American film producers]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Hong Kong film producers]]
[[Category:Film directors from California]]
[[Category:California College of the Arts alumni]]
[[Category:Hong Kong emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Chinese emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Writers from New York City]]
[[Category:Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Film directors from New York City]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from California]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New York (state)]]