The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift - Justin Lin

Justin Lin - Director

Real Name: Justin Lin

Born: 1973, Taipei, Taiwan

Profession: Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Justin Lin's first solo directorial debut, the critically acclaimed Better Luck Tomorrow which he also co-write, produced (along with Julie Asato) and Ernesto Foronda) and edited, premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival garnering a Grand Jury Prize nomination. Lin (along with co-writer / producer Foronda, co-writer Fabian Marquez and producer Asato) was also nominated for a John Cassavetes Award at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards.

The film went on to make box office history as the highest grossing per screen, average opening weekend film for Paramount Classics / MTV Films when it was released in April, 2003. It was named one of the Top 5 films of the year by renowned film critics including Ebert and Roeper. In July 2003, Lin was named the "It Auteur" on Entertainment Weekly's annual It List, citing the 100 Most Creative People in the entertainment industry.

Lin recently finished the Touchstone feature Annapolis, starring James Franco, Tyrese Gibson and Jordana Brewster. He is also attached to direct Strangers, which Vertigo Entertainment is producing for Focus Features, as well as the Vertigo Entertainment / Universal Pictures' film Old Boy, a remake of a Korean-language action thriller while developing television projects for the WB television network and Spelling TV.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, and raised in Southern California, Lin was recently named one of Variety's "Top 10 Filmmakers to Watch." He holds a BA and MFA in film directing from the UCLA School of Film and Television. In addition to Better Luck Tomorrow, he has produced and directed numerous award-winning short films, documentaries and digital movies. Lin has established his own production company, Trailing Johnson Productions, and is developing several new projects, while finishing up a documentary about a Las Vegas lounge act entitled Spotlighting.

Early in his career, Lin served as the Production Coordinator of the Media Arts Center for the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. He produced, directed and edited several multi-media projects and educational television pilots. One of the films, J-Town Rhapsody, an eight-screen video installation, garnered several awards including the Crystal Communicator Award of Excellence and the short documentary, Passing Through, was broadcast on PBS television.