Cathy Yan is a filmmaker whose work has been recognized by the Sundance New Voices Lab and IFP Film Week. Yan’s comedic series “According to My Mother” won Best Drama Pilot at the New York Television Festival in 2016. Previously, she was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in New York, Hong Kong, and Beijing. “Dead Pigs” is her debut feature.

“Dead Pigs” will premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

CY: The film is a mosaic of modern China, a social satire wrapped in a family drama, and a love song to the past about the things that change and the things that never do.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

CY: I was immediately taken by a news story about thousands of dead pigs found in the river outside Shanghai. I was born close to Shanghai, and I used to be a reporter, so it just felt like the story I had to tell. It was the perfect metaphor for the themes I wanted to explore.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

CY: I want audiences to connect with the characters and the story. I want them to feel strongly — whether positively or negatively — about the characters, pick sides, and even argue with each other.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

CY: Definitely balancing the two cultures, which made for a unique challenge both creatively and logistically. Logistically, trying to shoot a movie in Shanghai with a bilingual crew in three different languages — English, Mandarin, and Shanghainese — and then do post-production in New York with Chinese investors and a 12-hour time delay, this complicates things.

Creatively, these are two very different cultures with different tastes, senses of humor, and ways of interacting. I needed to balance my more Western sensibilities with staying authentic to the time and place.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

CY: Alibaba Pictures and Media Asia are our investors. I had to beg a lot of people to take a chance on this small film — ours is one of the smallest films they’ve done.

It’s also a combination of a Chinese arthouse film — China’s premiere arthouse filmmaker Jia Zhangke is executive producer — and an American indie. We were lucky that China’s film industry is booming right now, so there’s a big appetite to make movies.

W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at Sundance?

CY: It is a relief that I didn’t let down all the talented people I roped into working on this film. I’ve dreamed of Sundance for as long as I wanted to make movies so honestly, it’s still hard to believe it’s actually happening.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

CY: Someone once told me to just keep repeating the serenity prayer: “Accept what I cannot change, change the things I can, and find the wisdom to know the difference.” It helps me focus on the important stuff — the stuff worth fighting for.

The worst advice: When an agent suggested that I add some sci-fi into my film because “sci-fi is really hot right now.”

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

CY: Don’t let the fear and the odds consume you. Don’t blame the system — change the system. Hire women in every position that you can, because of their talent. On “Dead Pigs,” at least half of my department heads were women. My agents are all women. As a director, you have the power to pick the people you surround yourself with.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

CY: I adore Lisa Cholodenko’s “The Kids Are All Right.” It’s hilarious and heartbreaking and truthful. It taught me that “niche” films can be so universal that you forget that you were ever watching anything “niche” in the first place.

The first time I watched Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” I was in total awe. It made me feel like female directors can do anything. A thinking woman’s war movie with the perfect ending.

W&H: Hollywood is in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. Many women and some men in the industry are speaking publicly about their experiences of being assaulted and harassed. What do you think of the recently announced anti-sexual harassment Commission made up of industry leaders? Do you believe that it will help make systemic change? What do you think needs to be done to address this issue?

CY: The Time’s Up legal fund is a real thing that has already raised millions of dollars. Their website has a section called “What You Can Do” that is clear, concise, and actionable. This gives me hope.

I’ve been lucky on this film to be surrounded by extremely supportive men and women, but I’ve also been mistaken for a domestic helper, asked “what kind of Asian” I am, and told I’m “not creative enough” to be a director. I’ve always just let it happen, not wanting to be difficult. But next time this happens, I will not stand down.

Look at the percentage of women at the top film schools and top festivals like Sundance. What happens to all that female talent? We are leaning in, but it’s not enough. It’s too polite. We’ve got to take down the cultural and structural problems that have erased, fetishized, and threatened women and minorities for far too long.