Julia Kwan

Julia Kwan is a Canadian screenwriter, director, and occasional producer of her own short and feature films. She has brought a keen sense of the Chinese-Canadian cultural experience to her films. Several of the films were made in conjunction with the National Film Board of Canada. Her feature films include Eve and the Fire Horse, as well as the feature length documentary film Everything Will Be (2014). She is also known for her short film 10,000 Delusions (1999) which screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Her mother was a garment factory worker, Kwan was previously employed as a data entry clerk, and is capable of typing 105 words a minute. As of 2006, Kwan is in remission from cancer. Kwan was born under the Chinese astrological sign of the Fire Horse. After beginning her career writing and directing two short films, she made her feature Eve and the Fire Horse (2005). The film was well received, with Variety Magazine declaring it "a finely wrought period piece" and "an exceptional feature debut." Forty percent of the dialogue in Eve and the Fire Horse (2005) is spoken in Kwan's native tongue of Cantonese. The film deals with the issues that arise from the friction between traditional Buddhist beliefs and those of Catholicism for nine year old Eve (Phoebe Kut) growing up in Vancouver. The actress has appeared in three of Kwan's films. In the film, McLachlan tells anecdotes from both her childhood and professional career, in first person narration. Kwan also made a foray into animation with her short film Blossom Title Role 1999 10,000 Delusions Writer, director 2001 Three Sisters On Moon Lake Writer, director 2005 Eve and the Fire Horse Writer, director, Associate Producer 2007 Smile Writer, director, producer 2010 Blossom Writer, director 2014 Everything Will Be Writer, director 2015 Surfacing Writer, director

Awards and nominations Kwan won several awards for her feature Eve and the Fire Horse. She shared the Claude Jutra Award at the 2006 Genie Awards for that film with filmmaker Stephane Lapointe. He won for his film The Secret Life of Happy People. for Eve and the Fire Horse. At the 2006 Leo Awards, she won awards for Best Direction and Screenwriting for Eve and the Fire Horse. She won the 2001 Charles Israel Screenwriting Prize for the screenplay for Eve and the Fire Horse from the Writers Guild of Canada. for Eve and the Fire Horse at the Vancouver International Film Festival.