Lulu Wang

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Lore & Background

Wang's journey began in Beijing before she emigrated to Miami at age 6, where her father pursued a PhD at the University of Miami. A classically trained pianist since age four, she attended the New World School of the Arts and practiced daily at a local church before her family could afford a piano. She eventually chose filmmaking over music after watching Steven Shainberg's Secretary during her senior year at Boston University, graduating in 2005 with a double major in literature and music. Her early career involved creating evidence videos for court mediations. In 2008, she interned alongside Bernadette Bürgi; their shared love for romantic comedies led them to found Flying Box Productions. This partnership birthed Posthumous (2014), an American-German co-production set in Berlin starring Brit Marling and Jack Huston. Wang wrote a heartfelt letter to Huston that secured his role, proving her dedication to the project despite being a first-time director.

In Their Own Story

The Farewell emerged from a story Wang narrated for This American Life in May 2016 titled "What You Don't Know." Development began later that year with producer Chris Weitz. In January 2019, the film premiered at Sundance, where A24 picked it up for worldwide distribution. The plot follows Billi (Awkwafina), who travels to China for a wedding reunion while her grandmother Nai Nai remains unaware of her terminal illness. Wang based this on her own family's experience, casting her actual great aunt Lu Hong and filming in her grandmother's neighborhood. Despite the film's acclaim, Wang faced significant resistance from financiers who wanted a prominent white character and a shift from drama to comedy. She refused to "whitewash" the story, stating, "People are so influenced by Hollywood." The film opened in four US theaters on July 12, 2019, grossing $351,330—an average of $87,833 per theater—surpassing Avengers: Endgame's opening average. It later won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature.

Reader's Guide

Wang's approach to The Farewell required an inquisitional style similar to journalism to extract raw emotions from her family regarding the "actual lie." With few cinematic comparisons available, she relied on her father to vet the script for authenticity, asking repeatedly if it properly represented everyone. This process highlighted a tension: her father questioned why the narrative wasn't dramatized further to suit Western audiences, yet Wang insisted on maintaining the mundaneness of their reality. In 2017, she participated in Sundance Institute's FilmTwo Initiative while developing this second feature. Her dedication paid off with a 99% Critics Consensus rating on Rotten Tomatoes and votes for Best Director and Best Screenplay from IndieWire critics. At the 35th Independent Spirit Awards, Wang dedicated her speech to highlight the lack of female nominees, urging the industry to make the same bets on women as they do men.

Did You Know?

• Wang spent her early years in Beijing living with her paternal grandmother for a year in Changchun, Jilin.
• She won the Best Beginning Film Award at Boston University for Storyteller (2005) and Best Picture for Pisces (2006).
• The Farewell opened in four US theaters averaging $87,833 per theater, which was higher than Avengers: Endgame's opening average of $76,601.
• Wang cast actress Zhao Shuzhen to play Nai Nai in The Farewell.
• In January 2021, she directed the 11-minute short Nian entirely using an iPhone 12 Pro Max.