WongFu’s Philip Wang says Asian American filmmakers lose by leaving Asian stories behind

Philip Wang, co-founder of Wong Fu Productions, said Asian American filmmakers are not turning high-profile breakthroughs into sustained industry influence, citing a pattern where directors shift away from Asian-centered stories after gaining recognition.

In a video posted across social media platforms on March 27, he contrasted that trajectory with Ryan Coogler, whose repeated collaborations and producing work have expanded opportunities for other Black creators. The lack of follow-through in Asian American filmmaking, Wang argued, means “all the momentum gets lost.”

Wang pointed to Coogler’s career trajectory from 2013’s “Fruitvale Station” to 2015’s “Creed” and 2018’s “Black Panther,” noting that Michael B. Jordan remained a central collaborator across each project. He said the repeated casting reflected a deliberate effort to advance talent together rather than separate after early success. “The one that stands out to me the most is his relationship to Michael B. Jordan and dedication to his community throughout his entire filmmaking career,” he said.

He also cited Coogler’s work as a producer, describing it as a key factor in expanding opportunities for other Black filmmakers. Producing projects centered on Black stories, he said, allowed other directors and writers to develop their careers. Wang referenced Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Issa Rae and Jordan Peele as examples of creators who continued making work focused on the Black experience after reaching mainstream recognition.

Those patterns, he argued, show how collaboration and production influence can create a pipeline of opportunities, allowing success to extend beyond individual projects into broader industry impact. His remarks align with his own efforts at Wong Fu Productions, where he has continued producing Asian American-centered projects as part of a long-running independent pipeline outside the studio system.

Wang said Asian American filmmakers often follow a different trajectory after gaining recognition, moving to “white-led or centered” projects instead of continuing with Asian-focused stories. “As soon as white Hollywood notices them, they hop onto a white-led or centered project next,” he said. “That totally deflates the pride I had, because it means all the momentum gets lost.”

He attributed the pattern in part to structural constraints, including a limited number of Asian-led projects at the studio level and pressure from agents and managers to avoid being typecast. Filmmakers are often encouraged, he said, to take on projects with non-Asian leads to demonstrate range. “Don’t pigeonhole yourself as just an Asian director who can only do Asian stuff. You should go make a movie with, like, Timothée Chalamet or something to prove you’re a real director.”

He also placed responsibility on individual decisions, arguing that filmmakers who gained recognition through Asian stories still have the ability to continue telling them. “If they really did have the conviction to continue creating films from the community, they could,” he said. He added that some creators try to prove their work is universal by shifting away from Asian-centered narratives, despite earlier success demonstrating otherwise. “Every major jump forward is negated because nothing is built on top of it,” he said.

Several Asian American entertainers and creators responded in support of Wang’s comments, including Simu Liu, who wrote “Sigh,” and Andrew Fung and James Theang, who replied with “100%” emojis.

Bart Kwan, a YouTube creator and co-founder of JustKiddingFilms, wrote, “I agree with this 100%. Whenever one of us makes it to the top, I rarely see anyone drop the rope ladder back down for others to climb.” He added that artists often end up “making it on their own, as if for the first time every time.”

Other commenters extended the discussion beyond directors. Chescalea wrote that creatives can act “like crabs in a pot, pull each other down, rather than lift each other up.” Ducko Chan questioned whether the same pattern applies to actors, writing that some become “not easily available” to Asian-led projects after gaining mainstream opportunities.