# Wayne Wang

Wayne Wang (traditional Chinese: 王穎; simplified Chinese: 王颖; pinyin: Wáng Yǐng; Jyutping: Wong4 Wing6; born January 12, 1949) is a Hong Kong-American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese-American filmmakers to gain a major foothold in Hollywood. His films, often 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 (1989), the Amy Tan literary adaptation 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 (1995), the family film Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), the romantic comedies Maid in Manhattan (2002) and Last Holiday (2006), and the controversial erotic drama The Center of the World (2001).
He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Bodil Award, a Silver Bear, two Golden Shells, with BAFTA Award, 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. 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, and as he turned to the arts, studying film and television at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.
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 where he taught English to new immigrants in Chinatown.
Wang's debut feature, Chan Is Missing (1982) was a surprise hit and helped to legitimize Asian-American cinema as a artistically distinct and commercially viable category, Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985), and Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989) further established his reputation as an important voice in independent filmmaking. He is best known for The Joy Luck Club (1993), Maid in Manhattan (2002), and the independent features Smoke (1995) and Anywhere but Here (1999). At the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, Wang premiered two feature films, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and The Princess of Nebraska, as well as appearing in the Arthur Dong documentary film Hollywood Chinese.
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 at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.

## Personal life

He is married to former Miss Hong Kong and actress Cora Miao, and lives in San Francisco and New York City.

## Filmography

| 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 Independent Film and Video Award Nominated—Golden Montgolfiere |
| 1985 | Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart | Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Foreign-Language Film Nominated—Sundance Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic |
| 1987 | Slam Dance | Nominated—Deauville Critics Award |
| 1988 | Dim Sum Take Out | Outtakes from Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart |
| 1989 | Eat a Bowl of Tea | |
| 1989 | Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive | Rotterdam KNF Award |
| 1992 | Strangers | Segment: "Small Sounds and Tilting Shadows" |
| 1993 | The Joy Luck Club | |
| 1995 | Smoke | Berlin Silver Bear Silver Condor Award for Best Foreign Film Bodil Award for Best American Film Robert Award for Best Foreign Film Nominated—Golden Berlin Bear Nominated—César Award for Best Foreign Film Nominated—David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film Nominated—Nastro d'Argento for Best Foreign Director |
| 1995 | Blue in the Face | Co-director with Paul Auster |
| 1997 | Chinese Box | Nominated—Golden Venice Lion Nominated—Seminci Golden Spike |
| 1999 | Anywhere but Here | |
| 2001 | The Center of the World | |
| 2002 | Maid in Manhattan | |
| 2005 | Because of Winn-Dixie | |
| 2006 | Last Holiday | |
| 2007 | The Princess of Nebraska | |
| 2007 | A Thousand Years of Good Prayers | Golden Shell for Best Film CEC Award for Best Film SIGNIS Award |
| 2009 | Chinatown Film Project | Film exhibition at Museum of Chinese in America Segment: "Tuesday" |
| 2011 | Snow Flower and the Secret Fan | Golden Angel Award for Outstanding Film |
| 2014 | Soul of a Banquet | Documentary film |
| 2016 | While the Women Are Sleeping | |
| 2019 | Coming Home Again | Nominated—Tallinn Jury Prize for Best Director Nominated—Tallinn Grand Prize for Best Film |
| TBA | Diary Of A Mad Old Man | Pre-production |