Patrick Wang is an American writer, economist, director, and actor. His first feature film, the acclaimed hit

indie film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...

'' In the Family'', was released in 2011. He later directed the acclaimed two-part indie film ''

A Bread Factory ''A Bread Factory'' is a 2018 American two-part indie comedy drama film written and directed by Patrick Wang. It features an ensemble cast and depicts a fictional community arts center in a small upstate New York town that struggles under econo ...

'' in 2018.

Early life and education

Wang is a second-generation Taiwanese American. He was raised in Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in economics and a concentration in music and theater arts.

Career

As an economist, Wang has studied

energy policy Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy conversion, distribution and use as well as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to contri ...

game theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...

, and income inequality at the Federal Reserve Bank, the Harvard School of Public Health, and other organizations.

Film

His feature film directorial debut '' In The Family'', which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in, was nominated for a "Best First Feature" Independent Spirit Award, and received positive reviews from

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

, '' The New York Times'', the '' Los Angeles Times'', the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...

'', '' Time Out Chicago'', ''

NOW Magazine ''Now'' (styled as ''NOW''), also known as ''NOW Magazine'' is an online publication based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Throughout most of its existence, ''Now'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper. Physical publication of ''Now'' was suspen ...

'', and was featured on several "Best of 2011" film lists. The film also won Best Narrative Feature awards at the San Diego Asian Film Festival, the Spokane International Film Festival, and the

San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival CAAMFest, known prior to 2013 as the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF), is presented every March in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States as the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asia ...

, with Wang personally receiving awards at the festivals as well. For the film, Wang also was named by '' Filmmaker Magazine'' as one of the "25 New Faces of Independent Film". His second feature film that he wrote and directed is entitled '' The Grief of Others'' (2015), based on the 2011 novel of the same name by

Leah Hager Cohen Leah Hager Cohen is an American author who writes both fiction and nonfiction. Cohen's father was superintendent of the Lexington School for the Deaf in Queens, New York, and she became fluent in sign language there. She entered NYU at age 16, int ...

. The film premiered at the 2015

South by Southwest Film Festival South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...

, and was released theatrically throughout France in August 2015 by ED Distribution under the title, ''Les Secrets des Autres''. His third feature, which was released in two parts, was ''

'' (2018), about a community arts center in the fictional town of Checkford, New York. In connection with a retrospective of Wang's films in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Phil Hoad in the ''Guardia''n wrote that "Wang’s films, seen together, showcase a civically minded vision that demands attention." Wang has previously acted in, written, and produced short films such as ''Little Mary'' and ''Surveillances'', and also acted in short films including ''Rushing River'', ''Inherent Darkness and Enlightenment'', and ''Headspace''.

Theater

As a theater director, Wang has also specialized in the direction of classical verse drama. He directed the world premiere of Dianne Arnson Svarlien's translation of '' Medea''. He has also directed musicals, including ''

Surviving the Nian ''Surviving the Nian'' is an American musical written by Melissa Li (music, lyrics and book) and Abe Rybeck (book). The world premier on April 14, 2007 was directed by Patrick Wang, staged at the Boston Center for the Arts, and produced by The Th ...

''. Wang has taught and directed productions at the Stella Adler Studio and the Neighborhood Playhouse. He has authored a book of 75 original short monologue plays entitled ''The Monologue Plays''.

References

External links

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Angry Asian Man: Patrick Wang's In The Family Opens in the Quad on Nov. 4SDAFF Interview with Patrick Wang
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Patrick Living people American male film actors American film directors of Taiwanese descent American male writers American people of Chinese descent Year of birth missing (living people)