The No Film School Podcast Director Amy Wang Reveals the Job That Keeps Filmmakers Working After Film School
Writer-director Amy Wang joins the No Film School podcast to discuss her debut feature, Slanted, and the long road from film school to theatrical release. In conversation with GG Hawkins, Wang reflects on leaving Australia for AFI, building a creative community in Los Angeles, learning to write as a practical path to survival in the industry, and what happened after Slanted premiered at SXSW 2025, won the Grand Jury Prize, and eventually landed distribution ahead of its 2026 theatrical release.
In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Amy Wang discuss...
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How Fight Club inspired Wang to pursue filmmaking as a teenager in Sydney
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Why she left Australia for AFI and what it was like arriving in Los Angeles as an international student
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The real value of film school, especially for community-building and dedicated creative time
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Why learning to write became the key to sustaining a filmmaking career after graduation
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How a Black List script helped open doors in Hollywood
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The emotional and personal origins of Slanted
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Why body horror and comedy became the right form for exploring race, identity, and belonging
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How Slanted went from a logline to a financed feature
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What production and post looked like on a tight timeline before SXSW
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What it felt like to premiere at SXSW, hear audience reactions, and unexpectedly win the Grand Jury Prize
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The reality of selling an indie film in today’s market, even after major festival recognition
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What Wang learned from working with Bleecker Street on the theatrical release
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Details about her next feature, Crescendo, set in the world of competitive piano
Memorable Quotes:
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“If you don't come from money, if you don't have a famous uncle and you don't want to work at Starbucks for the next three to four years after you graduate, you need to learn how to write.” (12:48)
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“You can't let the highs be too high and you can't let the lows be too low.” (16:31)
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“It doesn't matter what I do, it doesn't matter who I am, how I speak, my personality is like, what my thoughts or how intelligent I am, people will always see my face first.” (19:08)
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“As long as you keep going, as long as you keep learning and changing and growing, I think you don't need to be the best throughout your life to be able to have a career in this industry.” (40:56)
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