Dayyan Eng, professionally known as Wu Shixian in Asia, is a multifaceted American creative force of Chinese, English, and Persian ancestry. With a childhood spent across various countries, Eng's diverse upbringing laid the groundwork for his future endeavors.
Eng's academic pursuits took him to the University of Washington, where he initially studied film, before transferring to the prestigious Beijing Film Academy to complete his undergraduate studies in directing.
Eng's career trajectory began with directing TV commercials for both Asian and global markets, garnering recognition at esteemed film festivals such as Venice, Sundance, and Cannes for his works Bus 44 (2001) and Waiting Alone (2004). Notably, Eng became the first American to direct a Chinese feature film, the first foreign member of the China Film Director's Guild, and the first foreign director to have a film nominated for "Best Picture" at the Chinese academy awards.
Waiting Alone remains the highest-rated Chinese romantic-comedy to-date in China, as of 2023. Eng's films have also received accolades and awards for the talented actors he has worked with, including top stars in Asia and Hollywood.
Eng's subsequent project, the genre-bending dramedy/psychological suspense Inseparable (2011),marked a departure from his earlier works. Written, produced, and directed by Eng, the film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival, featuring an all-star cast including Daniel Wu and Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey, who became the first Hollywood actor to star in a fully Chinese-financed film. Inseparable also starred Gong Beibi, Yan Ni, and Peter Stormare, earning a spot on The Wall Street Journal's "Top 10 Most Notable Asian Films of the Year".
In 2017, Eng directed the indie fantasy-comedy Wished (2017),co-written with Justin Malen. The film exceeded local box office estimates, grossing RMB$70 million in just two weeks. Wished held the highest audience scores across the top four ticketing platforms for local comedies released that summer and gained a total of 100,000,000 paid views across China's top three online movie platforms in just over a fortnight. The film's impressive cast included Xia Yu, Yan Ni, and K-pop star Victoria Song, with cameos by nearly a dozen of China's biggest names.
Wished won a Golden Angel Award at the 2017 Chinese American Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the 37th Hawaii International Film Festival. The film was subsequently optioned to be remade as a Hollywood film.
Eng divides his time between Los Angeles and Beijing, where he is multilingual and proficient in reading and writing English, Chinese, and Persian.
