Biografia
Yan Cui, born and raised in Beijing, China, began her career as an actress and assistant director at the Beijing Film Studio. After relocating to Canada, she earned a BFA in Film and Media Arts Studies from Ryerson Polytechnic University and became a 1994 Director Resident at the prestigious Norman Jewison's Canadian Film Center. She later moved to Los Angeles to further develop her skills as a film writer and director.
For her feature debut, Yan wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning film CHINESE CHOCOLATE, which received the International Confederation of Art Cinemas Award (C.I.C.A.E. Award) alongside Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse at the Berlin Film Festival. The film also won Best Director at the Palm Springs Film Festival and was an official selection at over 40 film festivals worldwide. It was released globally and ranked among the top 10 box office hits in Brazil.
Her second feature, which she also wrote, directed, and produced, was TIAN SHANG REN JIAN (YELLOW WEDDING), a co-production between China, Singapore, and Canada. It premiered in Singapore, was distributed across Asia, and was officially selected by the World Film Festival of Montreal, Canada New Voice of IFFM New York, and the Asian Pacific Film Festival, among others.
Yan’s first Chinese romantic comedy, LOVE, SIMPLY, was released nationwide in China in July 2015. Her latest Chinese film, WHEN AFRICA MEETS YOU, a road adventure romantic story set in Zimbabwe and South Africa, premiered in New York on October 12, 2018, had its African premiere in Harare, Zimbabwe on March 21, 2019, and was released theatrically across China on October 19, 2018. The film aired on Chinese National TV on August 25, 2020, reaching over 40 million viewers.
In addition, Yan has created several short films and commercials, including the award-winning shorts LATE AFTERNOON, THERE TRY ALIVE, THINGS IN BETWEEN, and HARM'S WAY, which were officially selected for the USA Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival, and featured on "Shameless Short" and "CFC Retrospective.
