Cathy Yan
Cathy Yan | |||||||
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![]() Yan in 2020 | |||||||
Born | 1986 (age 37–38) | ||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||
Alma mater | |||||||
Occupation | Filmmaker | ||||||
Years active | 2010–present | ||||||
Chinese name | |||||||
Simplified Chinese | Diêm vũ thiến | ||||||
Traditional Chinese | DiêmVũThiến | ||||||
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Cathy Y. Yanis a Chinese-born Americanfilm director,screenwriter,andproducer.Her films include thecomedy-drama filmDead Pigs(2018) andBirds of Prey(2020), the eighth installment of theDC Extended Universe.
Early life and education
[edit]Yan was born in China and raised in NorthernVirginia,nearWashington, D.C.While her family was living in China, Yan's father was given a visa to study sociology in the U.S. Two years later her mother left for America, and Yan remained in China with her grandparents. At age four she was reunited with her parents in America.[1]
As a child, Yan grew up with various creative outlets courtesy of her relatives and "deeply creative father".[2]By age 8, Yan was the kid carrying around a video camera, eager to express herself through art and through dancing as a choreographer.[2]She moved to Hong Kong when she was fourteen years old,[2]where she attended high school.[1]
She graduated with an A.B. from thePrinceton School of Public and International AffairsatPrinceton Universityin 2008 after completing an 133-page-long senior thesis, titled "Can the Mouse Byte the Paper Tiger? Internet-mediated Social Movements and Political Change inChina",under the supervision of Lynn T. White.[3]She later graduated in 2016 fromNew York University's MBA/MFA dual degree program, where she studied at both theStern School of Businessand theTisch School of the Arts.[4][5][6][7]
Career
[edit]Yan worked as a reporter for theLos Angeles TimesandThe Wall Street Journal[8]in New York, Hong Kong and Beijing before turning to filmmaking.[6]
After writing and directing severalshort films,Yan also shot a web-series and content for brands such as Armani, Subway, Spotify and The Innocence Project.[9]By 2018, Yan made her feature debut withDead Pigs.[1]The film was inspired by the2013 Huangpu River dead pigs incident,in which 16,000 dead pigs were found floating down theHuangpu River.[8]Funded by Chinese investors, Yan shot the dark comedy in Shanghai with a bilingual crew then completed the film in New York; directorJia Zhangkeexecutive produced.[8]Dead Pigspremiered at theSundance Film Festivaland won a Special Jury Award for ensemble acting.[10]Yan removed 12 minutes from the film in its wider February 2021 release on the streaming platformMubi.[11]
In April 2018, Yan was selected to direct theHarley QuinnDC Extended Universesuperhero filmBirds of Prey,based on the comicof the same name.The film was released on February 7, 2020 to positive reviews.[12]Margot Robbiestarred and co-produced andChristina Hodsonwrote the script.[8]Yan was the second woman and the first Asian woman to direct aDCfilm (or any US superhero film).[13]
As of January 2020[update],Yan is working on directing and producingA24's[14]film adaptation ofSour Heart,a collection of short stories by Jenny Zhang. Yan will co-write the script alongside Zhang for the autobiographical coming-of-age story about the immigrant experience of a young girl who moved from Shanghai to New York in the 90s.[15]
In February 2021, Yan started developing an adaptation ofRachel Khong's short story,The Freshening.FilmNation EntertainmentandAli Wongwere set to produce the feature, with Yan writing and directing.[16]
In 2021, Yan directed an episode of the HBO drama seriesSuccessioncalled "The Disruption",in season three, episode three, for which she was nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.[17]
Styles and themes
[edit]Yan's cinematic influences includeChen KaigeandZhang Yimou.Since Yan's father was a big fan of the nineties era of Chinese cinema, Yan expanded into East Asian art-house cinema, which includedWong Kar-wai.[11]Including American cinema, Yan appreciates the works ofRobert AltmanandPaul Thomas Anderson.Yan considersDead Pigsas "a marriage of the American indie and classic Chinese indie tones she grew up with."[11]
Personal life
[edit]Yan is married; her husband works in the restaurant industry.[18]Both Yan and her husband are currently based in New York.[citation needed]
Filmography
[edit]Short film
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Phishing | No | No | Yes |
2013 | Last Night | Yes | Yes | No |
2014 | Dinosaur Rider | No | No | Yes |
Entropy | No | No | Yes | |
Of Tooth and Time | No | No | Yes | |
2015 | Humpty | No | No | Yes |
2016 | Down River | Yes | Yes | No |
According to My Mother | Yes | Yes | No | |
2017 | Groomed | No | No | Yes |
Feature film
Year | Title | Director | Writer |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Dead Pigs | Yes | Yes |
2020 | Birds of Prey | Yes | No |
Television
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2021 | Succession | Episode: "The Disruption" |
Further reading
[edit]Cathy Yan onIndie Wire
Cathy Yan onPrinceton Alumni Weekly
Cathy Yan onThe New York Times
References
[edit]- ^abcSchwartz, Alexandra (29 February 2020)."Cathy Yan's Accidental Movie Career".The New Yorker.Retrieved2020-03-16.
- ^abcCanva, Michael (February 5, 2020)."Cathy Yan's rapid rise from journalist to 'Birds of Prey' director: 'I didn't think you could do this professionally'".The Washington Post.RetrievedFebruary 6,2020.
- ^Yan, Cathy Y. (2008)."Can the Mouse Byte the Paper Tiger? Internet-mediated Social Movements and Political Change in China".
{{cite journal}}
:Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^Teodorczuk, Tom (2018)."Sundance award-winning director Cathy Yan on shunning Hollywood for China with her debut movie 'Dead Pigs'".MarketWatch.Retrieved17 July2018.
- ^"Tisch at Sundance - 2018 Sundance - Premieres".Tisch School of the Arts.2018.Retrieved17 July2018.
- ^ab"Cathy Yan".Tisch School of the Arts.Retrieved17 April2018.
- ^"NYU MBA/MFA Dual Degree".tisch.nyu.edu.Retrieved2020-02-06.
- ^abcdRife, Katie (April 17, 2018)."Meet Cathy Yan, the woman hired to direct DC's next Harley Quinn movie".The A.V. Club.Retrieved2018-05-03.
- ^"Cathy Yan".tisch.nyu.edu.Retrieved2021-12-05.
- ^Kiang, Jessica (25 January 2018)."Sundance Film Review: 'Dead Pigs'".Variety.Retrieved17 April2018.
- ^abcGiroux, Jack (2021-02-12)."Cathy Yan Interview: Dead Pigs, Birds of Prey, and More".SlashFilm.com.Retrieved2021-12-05.
- ^Couch, Aaron (September 24, 2018)."Margot Robbie's 'Birds of Prey' Gets 2020 Release Date confirmed".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedSeptember 24,2018.
- ^Fleming, Mike Jr (17 April 2018)."Cathy Yan Is Warner Bros' Choice To Direct Margot Robbie In Next Harley Quinn Film".Deadline.Retrieved17 April2018.
- ^Vary, Adam B. (2020-01-28)."'Birds of Prey' Director Cathy Yan Reveals the Crucial Advice Patty Jenkins Gave Her ".Variety.Retrieved2020-02-06.
- ^"Cathy Yan".Gold House.Retrieved2021-12-05.
- ^Lang, Brent (2021-02-05)."Cathy Yan to Write, Direct Sci-Fi Comedy 'The Freshening' for FilmNation (EXCLUSIVE)".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-02-05.Retrieved2021-02-06.
- ^"Cathy Yan".IMDb.Retrieved2021-12-05.
- ^Yan, Cathy (Mar 16, 2020)."Please keep in mind how much the restaurant industry is hurting right now. My husband is in it. Keep picking up or getting delivery. Buy gift cards to use later. Help out a friend who is in hospitality!".Twitter.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-03-16.
External links
[edit]- Living people
- American women film directors
- American women film producers
- American women screenwriters
- Chinese women film directors
- Chinese film producers
- Chinese screenwriters
- American film directors of Chinese descent
- Sundance Film Festival award winners
- 21st-century Chinese women writers
- 21st-century Chinese writers
- 21st-century American women writers
- 21st-century American screenwriters
- 1986 births