[3] Her mother was a garment factory worker,[3] while her father was employed as the head waiter at a Vancouver Chinese restaurant.
[6] After beginning her career writing and directing two short films, she made her feature Eve and the Fire Horse (2005).
The film was well received, with Variety Magazine declaring it "a finely wrought period piece" and "an exceptional feature debut.
"[7] Forty percent of the dialogue in Eve and the Fire Horse (2005) is spoken in Kwan's native tongue[8] of Cantonese.
The film deals with the issues that arise from the friction between traditional Buddhist beliefs and those of Catholicism for nine year old Eve (Phoebe Kut) growing up in Vancouver.
In the film, she interviews neighbourhood occupants that represent both the past and the future of the rapidly gentrifying community.
[12] She won the 2001 Charles Israel Screenwriting Prize for the screenplay for Eve and the Fire Horse from the Writers Guild of Canada.