ZAO WANG

DIRECTOR | WRITER

Zao Wang was born in Beijing into a family of filmmakers who got him hooked on acting and voice-over work at the Beijing Film Studio before he could even drive. At 14, his family emigrated to Mississippi, where he mastered English the American way—through endless hours of TV—and eventually became a classical music DJ on local public radio (because why not add some culture to the mix?). After graduating college with degrees in physics and philosophy, Zao's original passion for visual storytelling won out, landing him at NYU-Tisch for an MFA in Film Directing.

Zao's films live in the psychological horror/thriller/sci-fi sweet spot, elevated by his multicultural perspective and immigrant experience—often with a healthy dose of dark humor. His work has premiered at top-tier festivals including Tribeca, Fantasporto, Fantasia, Yubari, Busan, and Palm Springs. His short Honeymoon Suite scored Best Director and Best Horror/Thriller at NBCUniversal Shorts Fest and was promptly optioned by NBCUniversal.

J.J. Abrams handpicked Zao as his only Directing Fellow at Bad Robot, where he directed Full Moon Club. NBC's Chiller TV then commissioned his next film, 5 States of Fear, which aired nationwide to rave reviews. His feature The Precipice Game was released nationwide in China and worldwide through IM Global, while his overall deal with Tencent Pictures had him developing a sci-fi detective series and feature projects with David Goyer.

Currently packaging Savage Paradise, an immigrant detective thriller set in Los Angeles, Zao also directed the overseas unit of the Chinese sci-fi epic The Wandering Earth 2. His dark comedy A Family Guide to Hunting, starring Margaret Cho and Kahyun Kim, premiered at Tribeca in 2024.

On the TV front, Zao has been an Emerging Director at NBCUniversal, shadowing on NBC's The Night Shift, The Purge and Quantum Leap. He's also part of the Sony Diverse Directors Program,  HBO Access, WBTV Fellowship and the HALF Initiative, where he shadowed on 9-1-1: Lone Star. He's currently developing a TV show with Tomorrow Studios based on one of his optioned short films, with Zao attached as executive producer.