Lost & Found at the Movies: True Lies

Lulu Wang
In conversation with John Nein, Senior Programmer, Sundance Film Festival

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. ALOUD welcomes 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.

Free, reservations recommended!