Renegades | Filmmaker Andrew Ahn on Imitation Versus Inspiration
The Wedding Banquet filmmaker reflects on reimagining the '93 classic rom-com
Welcome to Renegades, Gold House’s editorial series spotlighting Asian Pacific leaders and creatives who are carving their own paths and defying stereotypes along the way. This week’s Renegade is filmmaker Andrew Ahn!
Andrew Ahn is no stranger to adaptation: his 2022 film Fire Island was inspired by Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice". Yet, he faces a new undertaking: reimagining Ang Lee's 1993 rom-com The Wedding Banquet for a new audience. Through his growing filmography, the Korean American filmmaker continues to explore themes of queerness and familial responsibility, all the while spotlighting Asian Americans as complex protagonists.
We sat down with him to reflect on his career and advice for future filmmakers! And catch The Wedding Banquet in theaters April 18!
What did you want to be when you were growing up and how does that compare to where you are now?
I wanted to be a good Korean son and become a doctor, but when I got to college, I realized I didn’t have the passion for it. I started to take film production classes and fell in love. I would fall asleep studying for biology tests, but would pull all nighters in the edit room working on my film projects. I had to listen to that excitement and pursue film.
You began your career with short films before working on feature-length projects. In your experience, why are short films such a formative step for young filmmakers?
Short films are a great way to practice, to tell a story, to understand the collaborative nature of the art form. With a feature, you’re spending so much money and time — there’s more at stake. With shorts, you can hone your craft with less pressure. That said, shorts are also incredibly hard! In some ways, harder than a feature! You have so little time to build an emotional journey for your audience. You have to be very efficient — even more reason why making shorts is great practice.
For aspiring filmmakers, especially those from underrepresented communities, what advice would you give about navigating the industry and staying true to your voice in a competitive environment?
My advice to aspiring filmmakers is to build your community of collaborators, peers, and supporters who will help you feel less alone as you navigate the industry. Your community will help you understand your own interests, show you potential artistic and creative paths, and motivate you to make work that is meaningful to the people around you. I’m so thankful for the people I met at various film festivals like Frameline, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and the San Diego Asian Film Festival. These festivals helped me create a foundation on which I’ve been able to build my creative practice and professional career.
Fire Island blends humor with heartfelt moments while also exploring themes of love, friendship, and self-acceptance. How did you approach weaving these elements together to create a story that feels both entertaining and meaningful for the LGBTQ community?
Joel Kim Booster wrote an incredible script that was joyous, nuanced, and insightful. I knew that the more I was inspired by him, the better the movie would be. I saw how much Joel loves his friends and took that spirit to guide my process. I thought about my group of gay Asian friends. I thought about all the friends we were making while making the film. Friendship is funny! Friendship is heartfelt. If I could stay focused on that theme, I knew the film would work.
The Wedding Banquet features an incredible ensemble cast including Joan Chen, Bowen Yang, Youn Yuh-jung, and Lily Gladstone. What was it like working with such a talented group of actors?
I love The Wedding Banquet cast! I’m so thankful for our work with our casting director Jenny Jue. It was a real challenge! It’s a large, diverse cast of actors from different generations, backgrounds, and experiences. The ensemble is spiky, but also so cohesive. They really feel like a family. I fostered a sense of collaboration and generosity on set that the actors naturally bounced back to me and to each other. I think this is what gives the film this feeling of open-heartedness.
As the director and co-writer of the upcoming remake, how did you balance honoring the source material of the 1993 original The Wedding Banquet film while making the modern version your own?
I love the original The Wedding Banquet, and I’ve watched it so many times. Great art inspires other artists. Watching The Wedding Banquet, especially as an adult, I couldn’t help but think about how sexuality, culture, and family intersect in my own life. Throughout the development and writing process with my co-writer James Schamus, we stayed true to that feeling of respect and love for Ang Lee’s film and the inspiration we gained from it. Imitation would be disrespectful. Inspiration honors.
Your first feature film, Spa Night, premiered at Sundance, and now The Wedding Banquet has made its debut there as well. What was it like returning to the festival with this new film and how did it feel to come full circle with audiences there?
Sundance has given me my career. I’m so grateful for Kim Yutani for championing my work. It was really exciting to go back to Sundance with The Wedding Banquet, nine years after Spa Night. I loved that our producer, Joe Pirro, won the Producers Award for Fiction. I loved that our cast had such a great time. I was so overwhelmed by the beautiful audience response at our premiere screening at the Eccles. This past year's festival feels like a marker for the next phase of growth in my career.
Looking ahead, are there any particular projects or genres you’re hoping to explore next?
I’m very inspired by filmmakers like Ang Lee and Todd Haynes, who move from genre to genre with so much confidence and a real personal artistic point of view. I’d love to work in many different genres, but I have the feeling anything I do will somehow always feel like me.
Lightning Round
Favorite Book: “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver
Favorite Movie Poster: I love the Fire Island movie poster because I love that cast and it reminds me of that summer.
Best Advice You’ve Ever Received: My dad would drop me off at school and tell me “Try your best” and is there any better advice than that?
Dream Vacation Destination: Australia. I want to meet a quokka.
Go-To Theater Snack: A giant Diet Coke.