Name : Dayyan Eng
Chinese Name: WU Shixian
Place of Birth: China (Taiwan)
Nationality: USA
Education: Beijing Film Academy - Directing Major (95-97)
University of Washington - Film Arts Major (93-95)
Dayyan Eng is a bit of an anomaly. The 28-year-old director was born in Taiwan to a multi-ethnic family, but has been tagged with the 'Chinese-American' sobriquet because he is a US citizen. The 'director' label doesn't quite describe what Eng does, either. The writer/director of the short film, Bus 44, came to Beijing in 1995 to study at the Beijing Film Academy. His graduating film, East 22nd Street, received critical acclaim and was screened at various film festivals, but Eng continued to direct commercials and music videos to get by. Then in 1997, Thomas Wright, screenwriter of New Jack City and Godfather III, contacted him to co-write a new film called Lucky Star. Although the project was shelved due to creative differences, the experience was inspiring. "It really opened another door," he says. "I couldn't find scripts I liked, so why not write them myself?"
In 1999, Eng completed writing his first feature film Waiting
Alone, and began shopping it around to production companies. "I also had to turn into a producer because no one understood what I wanted to do with [this film]," Eng says. Meanwhile, Eng continued to direct commercials. In 2001, he wrote and directed the short film Bus 44, which caused stirs and won awards at Sundance, Cannes, Venice Film Festival, and numerous other prominent festivals around the world. Eng's nationality put it in a category with other American films at the Sundance festival, giving wider exposure than it would have as an entirely foreign film. It even captured the attention of Wong Kar-wai, who solicited Eng to direct an upcoming film. "I prepared for three or four months," says Eng, "and I was all ready to go when he calls and says, 'I've got a new idea.'" The production was then put on hold indefinitely.
Though more people became interested in financing Waiting Alone due to the success of Bus 44, it still wasn't easy for Eng. "A lot of people think that movies about young people should cost [a certain amount]. It's just too formulaic. So I ended up starting my own private production company to produce my film. I figured, I'm already wearing three hats, why not wear another?" Shooting for Waiting Alone finally began in October. The black comedy is about young people falling in love and stars Xia Yu, Gong Beibi (who also starred in Bus 44), Gao Qi, Li Bingbing and a slew of older movie stars in cameo appearances. Eng has certainly gained acceptance and support from the local film industry, despite being a 'foreign' director. "I grew up with two cultures and I'm using that to my advantage. But it's not intentional," he insists. "My friends here laugh at something, and my friends in America laugh at the same thing. I'm more interested in the similarities in humanity rather than the differences."
Bus 44
Synopsis:
On the outskirts of a small town, a bus driver and her passengers encounter highway robbers. "Bus 44" carries a universal theme that travels across all boundaries and societies, trespassing the dark side and bright side of human behavior.
Special Jury Award - 2001 Venice Film Festival
Jury Honorable Mention - 2002 Sundance Film Festival
Directors' Fortnight - 2002 Cannes Film Festival
Grand Jury Award - 2002 Florida Film Festival
Official Selection - 2003 New York Film Festival
