Emily Ting

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emily Ting
Born1980
Taipei
Alma materNew York University
OccupationDirector, scriptwriter and producer
Years active2001–present

Emily Ting is an American director, producer and screenwriter. She was born in Taipei, but later moved to Los Angeles with her family.[1] Ting graduated from the film/TV program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.[1] Her first feature-length film, Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, was released in 2015.[2]

Early life and education[]

Ting was born in Taipei in 1980, and moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was very young.[1] After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, she worked in New York for several years. In 2007, she returned to Hong Kong in order to run her family business.[2]

Career[]

After graduation, Ting worked at the documentary distribution company Docurama in New York for several years,[2] and later founded her own production company, Unbound Feet Productions.[3] At the beginning of her career she focused on making documentaries. Her first feature-length documentary, What’s Love Got to Do with It?, premiered in 2002.[2] She also made a documentary short entitled Reality Check in 2006, which is about college graduates facing unemployment.[2]

When Ting ran her family's business in Hong Kong,she made a documentary about her family business, Family Inc, which was released in 2008. It is a highly personal documentary, following how she gave up her filmmaking dream and returned home to help her father run a big toy manufacturing empire.[4]

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2015), Ting's first scripted feature, received primarily good reviews and was shown at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and the New York Asian Film Festival.[1] The movie is partially based on Ting's life and inspired by Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation.[5] Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, a romantic drama, follows a Chinese woman from Los Angeles who makes a business trip to Hong Kong, and has a romance with an American expat.[1] They visit various parts of the city, from Lan Kwai Fong and Central to Chungking Mansions and Temple Street.[1] Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong has been lauded for capturing Hong Kong’s vibrant nightlife.

Ting's next film, Go Back to China, is about an American heiress who blows through her trust fund, causing her parents to send her to China to work for their toy making business.[6] Ting has stated that this film, like Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, is also semi-autobiographical.[7]

Filmography[]

Feature films[]

Title Year Director Writer Producer Notes Ref(s)
The Big Bad Swim 2006 No No Yes Associate producer
Family Inc 2008 Yes Yes Yes Documentary
The Kitchen 2012 No No Yes
Pit Stop 2013 No No Yes Associate producer
Land Ho! 2014 No No Yes Co-executive producer
Man From Reno 2014 No No Yes Executive producer
A Year and Change 2015 No No Yes Co-producer
Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong 2015 Yes Yes Yes
Go Back to China 2019 Yes Yes Yes
Tall Girl 2 TBA Yes No No Filming [8]

Short films[]

Title Year Director Writer Producer Notes Ref(s)
The Kitchen 2001 Yes Yes Yes
Unbound Feet 2001 Yes Yes Yes
What's Love Got To Do With it? 2002 Yes No Yes
One Night Stand 2004 Yes No Yes
Reality Check 2006 Yes No Yes
The Distance Between 2012 Yes No No
The Ladder 2013 No No Yes Executive producer

Awards[]

  • Man From Reno Best Narrative Film at Los Angeles Film Festival(2014)[3]
  • Land Ho! John Cassavetes Awards at Film Independent Spirit Awards (2014)[3]
  • The Distance Between Best Short Film at (2012)[3]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Finally showing: movie that makes everyone fall in love with Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Ting, Emily". Hong Kong Women Filmmakers. 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  3. ^ a b c d "Unbound Feet Productions". www.unboundfeet.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  4. ^ Indiewire. "FESTIVALS | Going for the Maverick; Cinequest 'Empowers' 18th Edition | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  5. ^ Berger, Laura. "LAFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Emily Ting – 'It's Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong' | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  6. ^ McNary, Dave. "Film News Roundup: Anna Akana to Headline 'Go Back to China' Movie (EXCLUSIVE)". Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  7. ^ SXSW. "SXSW 2019 Lineup | Go Back to China". www.sxsw.com. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  8. ^ Netflix [@netflix] (April 12, 2021). "tall girl 2 is now in production