Directed by Wayne Wang
4 Episodes
With his 1982 indie breakthrough CHAN IS MISSING—a noir-inflected comic mystery set in San Francisco’s Chinatown—Wayne Wang became the first Asian American director to achieve widespread critical recognition, paving the way for a pioneering and eclectic career that helped introduce Chinese American stories to mainstream cinema. Exploring issues of assimilation, identity, and generational conflict, this trio of playful, insightful films from Wang’s extraordinary 1980s output overflow with both tender humor and deep emotion, drawing on influences ranging from the French New Wave and Yasujiro Ozu to old-fashioned Hollywood musicals and romantic comedies in order to capture a wide variety of immigrant experiences.
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17:35Episode 1Wayne Wang Interview
Episode 1
This conversation between director Wayne Wang and critic and programmer Dennis Lim was filmed in 2021.
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1:15:47Episode 2Chan Is Missing
Episode 2
Directed by Wayne Wang • 1982 • United States
Starring Wood Moy, Marc Hayashi, Laureen ChewA mystery man, a murder, and a wad of missing cash—in his wryly offbeat breakthrough, Wayne Wang updates the ingredients of classic film noir for the streets of contemporary San Francisco’s Chinatown. Whe...
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1:26:40Episode 3Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart
Episode 3
Directed by Wayne Wang • 1985 • United States
Starring Laureen Chew, Kim Chew, Victor WongWayne Wang’s follow-up to his watershed indie CHAN IS MISSING is a family portrait that gracefully combines the director’s signature gentle humanism and eye for poignant detail. Offering another fresh pers...
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1:25:42Episode 4Eat a Bowl of Tea
Episode 4
Directed by Wayne Wang • 1989 • United States
Starring Cora Miao, Russell Wong, Victor WongAn American-born husband and his Chinese-born wife cope with cultural confusion in Wayne Wang’s charming, warmhearted adaptation of the landmark novel by Louis Chu. It’s 1949 in New York City’s Chinatown ...