I interviewed Lulu Wang back in 2019 when her above-average Sundance hit “The Farewell” was about to get released. The 37-year-old Chinese-born filmmaker struck me as rather snide and rude, which disappointed me, considering I really liked her film.
Ever since hitting it big as an indie star filmmaker, Wang has been quite vocal on social media, opting to be political whenever necessary. Today, her target was Ron Howard, who, according to Deadline, signed on to direct and produce a new biopic about Chinese pianist Lang Lang.
Lang wasn’t happy with the news and made it clear to her Twitter followers, showing her disapproval and blatantly calling out Howard. You see, according to Wang, she thinks Lang’s story should be told from someone with a deeper understanding of Chinese culture.
“As a classically-trained pianist born in China, I believe it’s impossible to tell Lang Lang’s story without an intimate understanding of Chinese culture + the impact of the Cultural Revolution on artists & intellectuals + the effects of Western imperialism. Just saying.”
She continued, “I’m not saying this because I want to direct this movie. I do not. I just don’t think these are the artists to grapple w/ the cultural specificities of Northeast China where Lang Lang (and my family) are from. Or w/ the cultural aspect of the physical violence in his upbringing. Have we learned NOTHING from Mulan? I haven’t said anything because yes representation and many people I love are involved, but I just have to. Just HAVE to. Because 2020 man… and I’m fucking exhausted.”
Howard is definitely not of Chinese descent. Wang is not happy about that. She clearly, consciously or not, wants to direct this movie. And, know what? Fine, Lulu, I think you should get the job, in fact, you should only ever direct movies about Chinese people. Clearly, you have proven that nobody else on planet earth could ever understand Chinese culture better than you. It is not possible otherwise. Whites need to stick to their kind of movies, black artists need to stick with theirs, and so on.
I hope you all can get sarcasm because Wang's statement comes off, as … incredibly racist. This is basically her acknowledgment of segregation in the movie industry, and I find it scary as hell. Inclusion is a very important subject these days, but Wang’s arguments just come across as silly
Miss Lulu, did you know that “Nomadland,” a story about poor white people, was directed by a Chinese woman who’s father was a steel oligarch in China? Just laying it out there. Further, using your dumb logic, Bernardo Bertolucci shouldn’t have directed his 1987 classic “The Last Emperor”? How about Martin Scorsese, should he have not directed “Kundun”? (although there are a few people out there that do wish that were the case)
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.