Director Patrick Wang visits IU Cinema

Director Patrick Wang spoke about his path to filmmaking, his visual style in his films, his views on literary adaptations and his new technique of documenting the process of filmmaking Friday afternoon in the IU Cinema.

Wang is primarily known for his 2011 first feature film “In the Family,” which he directed, wrote, produced and starred in. The film, which screened Thursday night as a part of Asian Pacific Film Heritage Month, received critical acclaim.

It was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, and Filmmaker Magazine named Wang one of its top 25 New Faces of Independent Film.

The lecture was part of the “Movement” series sponsored by IU’s Asian Culture Center.
IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers introduced Wang and praised him and his work.

“His directorial debut ‘In the Family,’ which was screened at the Cinema, has garnered him much attention from critics and audiences from across the country, and I share much superlatives which describe his film by critics,” Vickers said.

Directing was never Wang’s main career path. He worked as a physicist and an economist, and graduated at MIT with a degree in Economics and a concentration in Music and Theatre Arts.

“In college at MIT, I started volunteering at a theater company just to help with their database,” Wang said. “And after going to many shows, I suddenly found myself on the other side of the stage.”

A question-and-answer interview was led by Ougie Pak, a visiting lecturer from the Department of Telecommunications.

A large duration of the interview was spent discussing the production of “In the Family,” during which Wang discussed his methods.

“I love the little perspectives that go a far way when making a film,” Wang said. “I feel filmmaking is all about being in the moment and thinking how we are going to make the right decisions.”

The film was primarily lauded by critics and audiences for being heartfelt and humanistic. Wang explained his process to convey this emotional power.

“The perspective I try to maintain all the time is I act as the audience, and I feel there is a danger to thinking that you are both above and below your audience,” Wang said.
Wang revealed his next upcoming directorial project will be an adaptation of Leah Hager Cohen novel, “The Grief of Others.”

“What intrigues me about literary adaptations are the dramatic elements that baffle me and won’t seem to let go in my thoughts,” Wang said. “It’s exciting and worth discovering taking on these projects.”