Biography
Dayyan Eng, also known as Wu Shixian in Asia, is an American director, writer, and producer of Chinese, English, and Persian descent, who was raised across three continents. He began his film studies at the University of Washington before transferring to the Beijing Film Academy, where he completed his undergraduate degree in directing. Eng’s films have earned numerous awards and recognition for both himself and the actors he has worked with, including prominent stars from Asia and Hollywood.
Launching his career by directing and producing numerous TV commercials for Asian and international markets, Eng first gained widespread acclaim with his film Bus 44. The film premiered and won awards at the 2001 Venice Film Festival and the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and was invited to the 2002 Cannes Film Festival "Directors' Fortnight," marking the first time a Chinese short film was honored at all three festivals. Bus 44 received extensive coverage in Chinese media, was critically praised in both China and Europe, and secured TV and theatrical distribution worldwide.
In 2005, Eng wrote and directed his debut feature film Waiting Alone, featuring a star-studded Chinese cast including Xia Yu, Li Bingbing, Gong Beibi, with cameo appearances by notable Asian actors such as Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat. The film became a commercial success and earned three nominations at the Chinese Academy Awards—including Best Picture—the first time a foreign director achieved this distinction. As of 2023, Waiting Alone remains the highest-rated romantic comedy in China on Douban and other review platforms.
In 2007, Eng was commissioned to direct the inaugural opening short for the Chinese Academy Awards ceremony. He enlisted top Asian stars Ziyi Zhang, Liu Ye, and Ge You to parody the action-movie genre in a comedic sketch broadcast on national television. In 2011, Eng wrote, directed, and produced Inseparable, starring Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, Daniel Wu, Gong Beibi, Yan Ni, and Peter Stormare. This psychological suspense dramedy premiered at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival to positive reviews and was released in China in May 2012. Inseparable was recognized by The Wall Street Journal as one of the Top 10 Most Notable Asian Films of the Year.
Eng directed, co-wrote, and produced the 2017 indie fantasy-comedy Wished, co-written with Justin Malen. The film surpassed local box office expectations, grossing RMB 70 million within two weeks. It received the highest audience scores (averaging 8.0/10) for live-action comedies released that summer and amassed over 100 million paid views across the top three online movie platforms in just over two weeks. Wished starred Xia Yu, Yan Ni, K-pop star Victoria Song, and featured cameos from major Chinese stars including Daniel Wu, Wang Baoqiang, and Ning Jing. The film earned the Golden Angel Award at the 2017 Chinese American Film Festival, Best Fantasy Film, and Best Director awards at the LA Film Awards and New York Film Awards in 2018. It was also an official selection at the 37th Hawaii International Film Festival. Subsequently, Wished was optioned by a U.S. production company for a Hollywood remake, with Eng attached as executive producer and with the option to direct.
Eng splits his time between Los Angeles and Beijing. He is multilingual, fluent in reading and writing English, Chinese, and Farsi.
15 wins and 17 nominations
