She creates character-driven narratives of hybrid genres, often focusing on women and immigrants. Her goal is to reveal characters’ strengths and weaknesses in everyday moments and reimagine their lives that are otherwise constrained by reality. She loves finding humor beyond language and cultural barriers.
She is a member of BAFTA Connect, Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award, and Visual Communication’s Armed With a Camera. She found her passion in story with a BA in Film from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and honed her craft at the UCLA with a Directing MFA.
She is a recepient of the 2025 MNFF Creative Distribution Mentorship with her first feature film, WHALE. Her short film, DAISY IS GONE, won Special Jury award at the 2024 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Her other work has screened at festivals including St. Louis, Brooklyn, Jia Village Short, Dallas, and FIRST FF.
Born in China and now a resident alien in Los Angeles, she spends her free time tending her plants and walking in her neighborhood.
contact her at ziyao 0806 at gmail dot com