Chan is Missing

Friday, July 3 - Saturday, July 4, 2026

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Sundance and named to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1995, CHAN IS MISSING forever changed the landscape of Asian American cinema and indie cinema at large. In this existential noir, shot in black & white, Wang’s characters — a cabbie and his nephew —embark on a hunt for a man named Chan. He’s taken all their savings and vanished without a trace. During their quest, they interrogate not only where he is but who he is, assembling a collage of the mystery man by talking to his acquaintances. In the process, Wang is slyly subverting the old Charlie Chan murder mysteries. Wang gives us his Chinatown instead — smart, gritty, and real. New York Times critic Vincent Canby heralded Wayne Wang’s feature debut as the arrival of a “marvelous, completely secure new talent.”

Screening as part of our series Declaration of Independents!



“A raunchy, sprawling and completely unpredictable panorama of the Chinese-American experience… sometimes wildly comic, sometimes melancholy, sometimes suspenseful and often strangely touching.” – Tony Rayns, Time Out

See more and save! Get an Independents Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three screenings in the series.



Previously screened in 2022 for the New York premiere of the film’s brand new 40th anniversary 4K restoration, overseen by writer/director Wayne Wang in collaboration with the Criterion Collection and Strand Releasing

  • Country France/Poland/USA
  • Year 1982
  • Running Time 80 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor IndieCollect
  • Director Wayne Wang
  • Cast Wood Moy, Marc Hayashi, Laureen Chew
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.