Dayyan Eng, known as Wu Shixian in China (), born in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in 1975, is a Chinese-American

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

of Chinese, English, and Persian ancestry, who grew up in three continents. He studied film arts at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

and transferred to the Beijing Film Academy, where he finished his undergraduate studies in directing. Eng started his career directing numerous TV commercials and music videos for the Asian market before he segued into films. Eng first won awards and recognition at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

, Sundance and

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

film festivals for his film '' Bus 44,'' and later for his acclaimed romantic-comedy ''

Waiting Alone ''Waiting Alone'' ( zh, c=独自等待, p=''Dúzì Děngdài'') is a 2004 Chinese romantic comedy film written & directed by Chinese-American filmmaker Dayyan Eng ( zh, c=伍仕贤, p=''Wǔ Shìxían''), depicting the lives of a group of hip twent ...

.'' Eng is the first American to direct a Chinese feature film; the first foreign director invited into the China Film Director's Guild; and made history as the first and only foreign director to date to have a film nominated for Best Picture at the Chinese academy awards. In addition, Eng's films have also garnered accolades and awards for the actors he's worked with, which have included top stars in Asia and Hollywood.

Career

In 2001, Eng wrote and directed '' Bus 44'' () starring Chinese film star Gong Beibi. The film premiered and won awards at the 2001

and 2002

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

, and was invited to 2002

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (, formerly ) is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as a ...

" - becoming the first Chinese

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

to be invited in all three festivals' history. The film was covered extensively in the Chinese media and was critically acclaimed in both China and Europe and gained TV and theatrical distribution in territories worldwide. In 2005, Eng wrote, produced, and directed a Chinese independent

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

'' (), starring an ensemble cast of Chinese stars including Xia Yu, Li Bingbing, Gong Beibi and featuring cameos from some of Asia's most well-known actors including

Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility, encompassing action to melodrama and comedy and historical drama, his accolades include three Hong Kong Film Awar ...

. The film has been called one of 2005 "best films" by over 50 media. ''Waiting Alone '' became a hit after its September 2005 domestic China wide-release, and went on to receive 3 nominations, including Best Picture, at the Chinese academy awards (

Golden Rooster Awards The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981. Award recipients receive a statuette in the sha ...

) -- the first ever in the history of the awards by a foreign director. The film to date still remains the highest-rated romantic comedy from China on

Douban Douban.com (), launched on 6 March 2005, is a Chinese online database and social networking service that allows registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, recent events, and activities in Chinese ci ...

and other review sites, resonating deeply with an entire generation of Chinese audiences. Eng was invited, in 2007, to direct the first-ever opening short for the Chinese academy awards. He got some of Asia's biggest stars, Ziyi Zhang, Liu Ye,

Huang Bo Huang Bo ( zh, c=黄渤, p=Huáng Bó; born August 26, 1974) is a Chinese actor, film director, singer and the current vice-chairman of China Film Association. He is the winner of multiple Chinese film awards, and ranked 34th on Forbes China ...

and

Ge You Ge You (born April 19, 1957) is a Chinese actor. One of the most critically acclaimed performers in China, Ge is known for his signature bald head, comic timing, and intelligent, subtle acting. Ge became the first Asian actor to win the Best A ...

, to spoof the action-movie genre in a humorous send-up on national TV in China. In 2011, Eng wrote, directed, and produced '' Inseparable'' starring Oscar-winner

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

Daniel Wu Daniel Wu Neh-Tsu (; born September 30, 1974) is an American actor. He is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese language film industry. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 60 films. A three- ...

, Gong Beibi, Yan Ni, and

Peter Stormare Rolf Peter Ingvar Stormare (; Birth name, né Storm, 27 August 1953) is a Swedish actor. He played Prince Hamlet, Hamlet for Ingmar Bergman, Gaear Grimsrud in the film ''Fargo (1996 film), Fargo'' (1996) and List of Prison Break characters#John ...

. The genre-bending psychological suspense/dramedy debuted at the

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF; ), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae District, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held fro ...

in 2011 to positive reviews and was released in China in May 2012. Inseparable was named as one of The Wall Street Journal's Top 10 Most Notable Asian Films of the Year, and was also notable for being the first fully Chinese-financed film to have a Hollywood star as a lead. In 2015, Eng was invited to be on the five-member jury of the prestigious China Film Director's Guild Awards. In 2017, Eng directed the indie fantasy-comedy '' Wished'' (Chinese: 反转人生; Pinyin: Fan Zhuan Ren Sheng) (co-written by Justin Malen), which beat local box office estimates at the time to gross RMB$70 million in two weeks. It held the highest audience scores across the top four ticketing platforms for local comedies released that crowded summer, and gained a total of 100,000,000 paid views across China's top three online movie platforms in just over a fortnight. ''Wished'' starred Xia Yu, Yan Ni, K-pop star Victoria Song along with cameos from China's biggest names including

Wang Baoqiang Wang Baoqiang (; born 29 May 1984) is a Chinese martial artist, actor and director. Wang first received recognition in the film '' Blind Shaft'' (2003), for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the Golden Horse Awards. He went on to ...

, Bao Bei'er. The film went on to win a Golden Angel Award at the 2017

Chinese American Film Festival Chinese American Film Festival (CAFF) is an American film festival held every November since 2006 in California (with events in Los Angeles and San Francisco, previously also in San Diego). History In 2005, the Chinese American Film Festival w ...

, and Best Fantasy Film and Best Director awards (in addition to wins in several other major categories, including Best Actor/Actress, Best Editing, Best VFX) at the 2018 Los Angeles Film Awards and New York Film Awards. It was an official selection at the 37th

Hawaii International Film Festival Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

. The film was optioned in 2019 to be remade into a Hollywood film, with Eng attached to executive produce. Eng divides his time between Los Angeles and Beijing. He is multilingual, and reads and writes English, Chinese, and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Selected Filmography

As writer, director, producer, editor: *'' Wished'' (Chinese: 反转人生; Pinyin: Fan Zhuan Ren Sheng) (2017) *'' Inseparable'' (Chinese: 形影不离; Pinyin: Xing Ying Bu Li) (2011) *''

'' (Chinese: 独自等待; Pinyin: Dú Zì Děng Dài) (2005) *'' Bus 44'' (Chinese: 车四十四; Pinyin: Che Si Shi Si) (2001)

Partial Awards List

*2018: New York Film Awards - Best Picture (''Wished'') *2018: Los Angeles Film Awards - Best Fantasy Film (''Wished'') *2018: Los Angeles Film Awards - Best Director Award (''Wished'') *2018: NYC Indie Film Awards - Best Director Award (''Wished'') *2017: London Independent Film Awards - Best Editing Award (''Wished'') *2017:

- Golden Angel Film Award (''Wished'') *2013:

- Best US-China Co-Production Film Award (''Inseparable'') *2005:

Golden Rooster Award The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981. Award recipients receive a statuette in the sha ...

- Best Picture Nomination (''Waiting Alone'') *2005:

Beijing College Student Film Festival Beijing College Student Film Festival, first held in 1993, is an annual event organized by Beijing Normal University and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio, Film and Television. It is held in April or May, and is one of the biggest film festivals ...

- Best First Feature Award (''Waiting Alone'') *2001:

- Special Jury Award (''Bus 44'') *2002:

- Jury Honorable Mention (''Bus 44'') *2002:

- Directors' Fortnight (''Bus 44'') *2002: Florida Film Festival - Grand Jury Award (''Bus 44'')

References

External links

* *
Official Waiting Alone Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eng, Dayyan Film directors from Los Angeles 1975 births Beijing Film Academy alumni Living people Chinese film directors American people of Iranian descent American film directors of Chinese descent