Justin Lin
Early life and education
Lin was born on October 11, 1971, in Taipei, Taiwan. He immigrated with his family to the United States at the age of eight and grew up in Buena Park, California. He graduated from nearby Cypress High School. Lin earned the rank of Eagle Scout in March 1989 while a member of Boy Scout Troop 670.
Early life and education
Lin attended the University of California, San Diego, for two years before transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in film and television and a Master of Fine Arts in film directing and production from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. He was given a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017.
1997–2005: Better Luck Tomorrow, Annapolis
Lin's first feature film was Shopping for Fangs (1997), which he co-directed with fellow UCLA Film School alumnus Quentin Lee when they were still at UCLA. The film stars John Cho and is considered to be a "cult classic" among independent Asian American films.