Alice Wu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alice Wu
Wu in 2005
Born	(1970-04-21) April 21, 1970 (age 55) San Jose, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Stanford University (BS, MS)
Occupation	Filmmaker, screenwriter
Known for	Saving Face The Half of It Winner, Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, 2020 Tribeca Film Festival Nominated, Best Screenplay, 2020 Independent Spirit Award

Alice Wu (Chinese: 伍思薇; born April 21, 1970) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is well-known for her movies Saving Face (2004) and The Half of It (2020).

Both of her films feature main characters who are Chinese-American. They explore the lives of smart characters and their relationships. Alice Wu chose not to sell the script for Saving Face. This was to make sure the story truly showed the Taiwanese-American community. Her work has helped more Asian people be seen in movies today. She has inspired actresses like Awkwafina and Lana Condor.

Early Life and Education

Alice Wu was born in San Jose, California. Her parents had moved there from Taiwan. Her family later moved to Los Altos, California. She finished high school there in 1986.

At 16, she went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She then transferred to Stanford University. She earned her bachelor's degree in Computer Science in 1990. She also got her master's degree in Computer Science in 1992. Before making movies, Wu worked as a software engineer for Microsoft in Seattle.

Filmmaking Career

While working at Microsoft, Alice Wu started writing a novel. She soon realized the story would be better as a film. She took a 12-week screenwriting class. There, she wrote the script for her first movie. After that, she left her job at Microsoft. She moved to New York City to become a full-time filmmaker.

Saving Face (2004)

Her screenwriting teacher encouraged her to make her script into a film. Alice Wu gave herself five years to do it. Production for Saving Face began in the fifth year. In 2001, her script won an award from the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment.

Saving Face was released in 2004. The film was inspired by her own experiences. She wanted the audience to feel hope after watching it. She hoped they would feel that it's "never too late to have that" great love or secret wish. Wu noted that many different people enjoyed her film. She found it amazing that a specific story could feel "universally human."

The movie has been very important to both Asian and diverse communities. It shows the challenges within the Chinese-American community. It also explores the role of women and personal identity. Wu also looks at mother-daughter relationships in Chinese-American families. She says the main character is not exactly like her. But the film was partly a way to show positive stories for her own mother.

Saving Face made Wu a role model for other Asian-Americans in film. Actress Awkwafina had a Saving Face poster in her room. She said it was "the first film that spoke to her as an Asian-American."

The film first showed at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival. Its U.S. premiere was at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Sony Pictures Classics released the film in May 2005.

Time Between Films

After Saving Face, Wu worked on a movie based on a book. It was called Foreign Babes in Beijing. However, this movie was never fully made.

In 2008, she sold a TV show idea to ABC called "Foobar." It was based on her experiences working in the tech world.

After this, Wu took a break from the film industry. She cared for her mother, who was ill. She used her savings and income from her past work. Most of her friends did not know what she was doing during this time.

The Half of It (2020)

When her mother got better, Wu started writing again. But she had trouble coming up with ideas. To help herself, Wu made a deal. She wrote a check for $1,000 to an organization she disliked. She gave it to a friend and said, "if this first draft is not written, you are sending that check in."

This helped her write The Half of It. This is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film. Wu wrote, directed, and produced it. The script was listed on the Black List in 2018.

The film is a romantic comedy. It follows a Chinese-American teenager who helps a boy win over his crush. The teenager also has feelings for the same person. The story is loosely based on Wu's own teenage friendship. The movie stars Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, and Alexxis Lemire.

In April 2020, the film won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature. This was at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. It was released on Netflix on May 1, 2020. The film received very good reviews.

In 2022, Wu wrote and directed a commercial for Oreo. It was called "The Note" and was made with PFLAG. The commercial shows a young Chinese American man's journey of self-discovery. It highlights how family can support their loved ones.

Awards and Honors

In March 2005, Alice Wu's film Saving Face opened the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Later that year, she received the Visionary award at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. This was for her first film, Saving Face. She was also nominated for a breakthrough director award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards. In 2006, Saving Face was nominated at the GLAAD Media Awards. It won the Viewer's Choice Award at the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan. In 2019, The Los Angeles Times named it one of the 20 Best Asian American Films of the Last 20 Years.

In April 2020, Wu's film The Half of It won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature. This was in the U.S. Narrative Competition category at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.

In June 2020, Queerty named her one of fifty heroes. This was in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade. These heroes were recognized for leading the nation toward equality and acceptance.

In 2021, Wu was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay for The Half of It.

Filmography

See also

• List of female film and television directors
• List of lesbian filmmakers
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women

Images for kids

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  Wu in 2005