Jiāyán “Jenny” Shī (施佳妍) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and video journalist based in Chicago. Her first feature-length documentary, Finding Yingying, was the winner of the 2020 SXSW Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Voice, among numerous other awards during a virtual distribution season. The film was produced by Kartemquin Films and distributed by MTV Documentary Films. In addition, Jenny was named one of Indiewire’s “20 Rising Women Directors You Need to Know in 2020” and also named to DOC NYC’s 2020 “40 Under 40” list.
Jenny and NüVoices board member Chenni Xu discuss her creative process, what it takes to be a documentary filmmaker, the emotional toll the film took (as well as mental health recommendations for filmmakers), and the story of Yingying and its impact.
Finding Yingying is available to stream in virtual cinemas around the world.
Recommendations: