Lulu Wang (filmmaker) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lulu Wang
Wang in 2024
Born	(1983-02-25) February 25, 1983 (age 42) Beijing, China
Education	New World School of the Arts
Alma mater	Boston College
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer
Years active	2005–present
Spouse(s)	Barry Jenkins ​ (m. 2024)​

Lulu Wang (Chinese: 王子逸; pinyin: Wáng Zǐyì) is a talented filmmaker born in China, now an American citizen. She was born on February 25, 1983. Lulu Wang is famous for writing and directing the comedy-drama films Posthumous (2014) and The Farewell (2019). The Farewell was a big success. It won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film and was named one of the top ten films of 2019 by the American Film Institute. Besides feature films, Wang has also created many short films, documentaries, and music videos.

Growing Up and School

Lulu Wang was born in Beijing, China. Her father, Haiyan Wang, was a diplomat, and her mother, Jian Yu, was a cultural critic. She has a younger brother named Anthony. Lulu lived in Beijing and briefly with her grandmother in Changchun before moving to Miami, USA, at age six. Her father went to the University of Miami to get his PhD.

Lulu started playing the piano at age four and trained classically. Her parents hoped she would become a professional pianist. She even practiced at a local church every day until they could buy a piano. However, when she went to college, Lulu decided not to pursue a music career.

She studied music and literature at Boston College from 2001 to 2005. Lulu found her passion for filmmaking after watching the movie Secretary in her final year. She then took film classes and made several short films. After college, in 2007, she moved to Hollywood to follow her dream of writing and directing movies.

Her Filmmaking Journey

Starting Out (2005–2007)

Lulu Wang began her filmmaking career in a unique way. She started a business creating short "day in the life" videos for legal firms. These videos showed the daily struggles of injured people for court cases. She interviewed many clients and their families to show how their injuries affected them.

In 2005, while still a student, Wang won an award for her film Storyteller. The next year, she and her classmate Tony Hale won another award for their short film Pisces. They also worked together on a documentary in 2006 called Fishing the Gulf, which was about over-fishing in Panama.

First Feature Film: Posthumous (2008–2015)

In 2008, Lulu Wang moved to Los Angeles. She met Bernadette Bürgi, and they decided to make a film together. They started their own company, Flying Box Productions. Wang directed many web shorts and music videos. In 2014, she directed her first full-length movie, Posthumous.

This film was made with both American and German teams and was set in Berlin. It starred Brit Marling and Jack Huston. Lulu Wang really wanted Jack Huston for the film. She wrote him a heartfelt letter, which convinced him to join the project. Posthumous premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in 2014 and was shown around the world.

In 2014, Wang received a special directing fellowship from Chaz Ebert and Roger Ebert. Her 2015 short film Touch was also very successful. It was a finalist at a film festival and won Best Drama at the Asians on Film Festival.

Big Success with The Farewell (2016–Present)

In 2016, Lulu Wang shared a story called "What You Don't Know" on the radio show This American Life. A producer named Chris Weitz heard it and decided to help turn it into a movie. In 2017, Wang was chosen for a program that helps filmmakers create their second feature films.

In January 2019, Wang's second feature film, The Farewell, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It was bought by A24 for worldwide release. The movie is about a young artist named Billi (played by Awkwafina) who travels to China. Her family is having a reunion to visit her dying grandmother, but they decide to keep the truth about her illness a secret from her. They pretend there's a wedding to bring everyone together.

Lulu Wang based the film on her own family's experience. The movie even starts with a message saying, "Based on an actual lie." Most of the film is in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. It was filmed in the neighborhood where Wang's grandmother lived. Her real great-aunt, Lu Hong, even played herself in the movie!

The Farewell was highly praised by critics. However, Lulu Wang faced challenges when trying to get funding for the movie. Some people suggested she add a white character or change the movie from a drama to a comedy. Wang refused to "whitewash" her film, wanting to keep it authentic.

The film opened in limited theaters in the US in July 2019 and later nationwide. It was a huge success in the US. In December 2019, the American Film Institute named The Farewell one of the top ten films of the year.

Awkwafina won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role in The Farewell. The film also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film in February 2020. When accepting her award, Lulu Wang spoke about the need for more female directors in the film industry. She stressed that women need more opportunities and that the industry should take the same chances on female filmmakers as they do on male filmmakers.

In 2021, Apple released a short film called Nian, written and directed by Wang. It celebrated the Chinese New Year and was filmed entirely using an iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Wang's next project is a film based on a science fiction book called Children of the New World. She said it will focus on "questions of family." She also launched a production company called Local Time Productions.

Personal Life

Lulu Wang speaks English and Mandarin Chinese fluently, and also some Spanish. She started dating fellow filmmaker Barry Jenkins in 2018. They were married in December 2024.

Her Filmmaking Style

Inspiration and How She Works

For her film The Farewell, Lulu Wang didn't have many other movies to look at for inspiration. Making a story that truly showed the experience of an Asian immigrant was new territory. There weren't many similar films to compare it to. Because of this, Wang's main influences were her own family members.

She wanted the movie to feel very real. She even asked her father to read the script and tell her if it truly represented everyone. Her family sometimes questioned if she knew enough about China to write the story. This made her research and ask even more questions about her grandmother's life and her family's feelings. She interviewed her family to get as much real emotion as possible, even if it brought up sad memories. Her real great-aunt, Lu Hong, played herself in the movie. This helped make the film feel very honest and real.

Working with Others

Lulu Wang is also working on an Amazon series called “Expats.” This show is based on a novel and is being made with producer and actress Nicole Kidman. The story is about three American women in Hong Kong who form a strong bond after a sudden tragedy. Wang says the series explores ideas of "privilege" in many ways, including race and social class. She is excited about the creative freedom she has with this project.

Favorite Films

In a 2022 poll, Lulu Wang shared her ten favorite films:

Filmography

Film

Short film

Feature film

Television

Music videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lulu Wang (cineasta) para niños

• List of Boston College people