Lost & Found at the Movies:
True Lies

Featuring Lulu Wang In conversation with John Nein, Senior Programmer, Sundance Film Festival
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019 | 7:30pm Mark Taper Auditorium-Central Library

 

In this edition, we explore the art of lying… cinematically speaking.

From the outset, Lulu Wang’s The Farewell lets us know that the film is “based on an actual lie,” which turns out to be true. Wang drew inspiration from a deception that unfolded within her own family when her grandmother, living in Changchun, China, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The family kept the diagnosis a secret from the grandmother and in order to bid her goodbye, they gathered in China under the guise of a wedding. We welcome the wonderfully talented Wang to discuss the emotional and cultural nuances of blurring the line between fiction and nonfiction, and to explore the creative journey of The Farewell, first told as a segment of “This American Life” and then beautifully transformed into one of this year’s best films.

Bending the truth is of course a time-honored tradition in Hollywood and in other segments, we take a look at the art of lying from another angle: the most audacious and outrageous hoaxes ever orchestrated to generate publicity for movies—from the silent era to present day. And naturally, we celebrate being deceived by some of the greatest onscreen lies (and liars) in film history.

LFLA Members are invited to enjoy an exclusive reception following the program.

Lost & Found at the Movies is generously supported by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association

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John Nein

John Nein

John Nein is a Senior Programmer at the Sundance Film Festival and deals primarily with U.S. and international feature films. He also plans the festival’s panels and runs the Institute’s film preservation initiative. John grew up in Europe and the U.S., studied history at Carleton College, and earned his MFA from UCLA’s Film Directing program, where he made several award-winning shorts and lobbied tirelessly for better coffee in the vending machines.

Lulu Wang

Lulu Wang is a classical pianist turned filmmaker. Her second feature The Farewell, starring Awkwafina, premiered at Sundance 2019 in U.S. Dramatic Competition. She was listed by Variety as one of Ten Directors To Watch in 2019. Born in Beijing, raised in Miami and educated in Boston, Lulu is a recipient of the Chaz and Roger Ebert Directing Fellowship, which was awarded at the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Her first feature film, Posthumous, starring Jack Huston and Brit Marling was released by The Orchard. She is also a 2014 Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow and a 2017 Sundance Fellow invited to participate in the FilmTwo Initiative for second time feature filmmakers.

Frequently Asked Questions

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