Cathy Yan

Cathy Yan
Yan in 2020
Born	1986 (age 37–38) China
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Princeton University New York University
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	2010–present
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	Diêm vũ thiến
Traditional Chinese	DiêmVũThiến
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yán Yǔxi

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

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.

As a child, Yan grew up with various creative outlets courtesy of her relatives and "deeply creative father".By age 8, Yan was the kid carrying around a video camera, eager to express herself through art and through dancing as a choreographer.She moved to Hong Kong when she was fourteen years old,where she attended high school.

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.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.

Career

Yan worked as a reporter for theLos Angeles TimesandThe Wall Street Journalin New York, Hong Kong and Beijing before turning to filmmaking.

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.By 2018, Yan made her feature debut withDead Pigs.The film was inspired by the2013 Huangpu River dead pigs incident,in which 16,000 dead pigs were found floating down theHuangpu River.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.Dead Pigspremiered at theSundance Film Festivaland won a Special Jury Award for ensemble acting.Yan removed 12 minutes from the film in its wider February 2021 release on the streaming platformMubi.

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.Margot Robbiestarred and co-produced andChristina Hodsonwrote the script.Yan was the second woman and the first Asian woman to direct aDCfilm (or any US superhero film).

As of January 2020,Yan is working on directing and producingA24'sfilm 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.

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.

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.

Styles and themes

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.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."

Personal life

Yan is married; her husband works in the restaurant industry.Both Yan and her husband are currently based in New York.

Filmography

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

Cathy Yan onIndie Wire

Cathy Yan onPrinceton Alumni Weekly

Cathy Yan onThe New York Times

External links

• Cathy YanatIMDb
• Cathy Yan atFilm Grab
• Cathy Yan atMubi