Danny Wu (born 1996) is a Canadian director and writer. He is best known for directing '' American: An Odyssey to 1947'' which was placed on

Jonathan Rosenbaum Jonathan Rosenbaum (born February 27, 1943) is an American film critic and author. Rosenbaum was the head film critic for '' The Chicago Reader'' from 1987 to 2008. He has published and edited numerous books about cinema and has contributed to ...

’s list for "best films of 2022."

Early life

Danny Wu was born in Chengdu, China, but immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 7. In high school, Wu dreamed of being a professional basketball player, while he also worked as a magician. During the pandemic, Wu stayed in Chengdu with his family and created a 22-minute short program titled “My Life in China during the Pandemic.” The project was subsequently broadcast by CNN affiliate N1.

Career

Danny Wu's first film ''

Square One Square One may refer to: Film and TV * ''Square One: Michael Jackson'', a 2019 investigative documentary about the first allegations of child sexual abuse brought by the Chandler family *''Square One Television'', a children's television series ...

'' was released in 2019 on

Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

. In describing Wu's style, critic Josiah Teal for

Film threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

wrote that “Wu paces the documentary almost like an A24 film…the vibe of tension and release creates a mood much closer to something like The Lobster than a typical celebrity documentary.” ''American: An Odyssey to 1947'' was Wu's first film to enter the film festival circuit. It features a collection of stories leading to the year 1947, most notably about the politics of

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

. The film screened at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in 2023, and was placed on Jonathan Rosenbaum's list for best films of the year. In addition it was also screened at the

Austin Film Festival Austin Film Festival (AFF), founded in 1994, is an organization in Austin, Texas, that focuses on writers' creative contributions to film. Initially, AFF was called the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and functioned to launch the c ...

, and the It's All True International Documentary Festival. In a review by David Walsh for WSWS, he describes that “In a short period of time, he has developed an important understanding of some of the most vexing problems of the mid-20th century.” Walsh claimed the film as evidence that “a new generation of artists, free from the cynicism and many of the prejudices of the past several decades, is emerging.”

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Danny Canadian documentary film directors Film directors from Vancouver Asian-Canadian filmmakers Living people 1996 births