Li Yu (director) facts for kids

Li Yu (Chinese: 李玉, born December 2, 1973) is a talented Chinese film director and screenwriter. She is known for making movies that explore different aspects of life and human feelings.

Li started her career in entertainment when she was quite young. She worked as a presenter at a local TV station. After finishing college, she joined CCTV. There, she directed television programs before moving on to make documentaries and then feature films.

Li Yu's Journey as a Director

Li Yu's first full-length movie, Fish and Elephant, came out in 2001. This film was important because it explored new topics in Chinese cinema. It was shown in some countries but faced challenges and was not widely seen in mainland China.

Her next movie, Dam Street, had fewer problems. It helped Li win the Golden Lotus award at the Deauville Asian Film Festival in 2006. This was a big achievement for her.

In 2007, Li Yu's film Lost in Beijing was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival. This movie caused some discussion with the Chinese Film Bureau. Even though it was briefly shown in a changed version, it later had limited releases outside of China.

In 2010, Li Yu's movie Buddha Mountain won an award for Best Artistic Contribution. This happened at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival. It was a film about growing up and finding your way.

Li Yu was always looking for new challenges in her career. She moved from being a TV host to a documentary director at CCTV. Her documentaries were known for making people think deeply. She decided to turn one of her stories into a movie. Finding money for her project was hard, so she bravely sold her own house to pay for it. This is how she made her first movie, "Fish and Elephant".

After making her first movie, Li faced tough times. She had quit her job and had to borrow money to rent a place to live. During this period, she also went back to making documentaries to support herself.

A friend sent Li's first movie, Fish and Elephant, to a film festival in Venice. It was chosen to be part of the festival, which was a big surprise! However, there was a problem: one of the film tapes was lost. This made the screening difficult, and some international reporters laughed. Li was very upset and stood up to say, "This is not my movie! Stop playing it. I quit this film festival!" She left crying. The festival later fixed the issue with the tapes. Even with these challenges, Li received an award for her work in female filmmaking.

Awards and Recognitions

Li Yu has won many awards for her films. These awards show how much her work is appreciated around the world.

• 2012 - Won the Most Popular Director Award at the 9th Guangzhou Student Film Festival for "Double Exposure".
• 2011 - Won the Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Feature Film at the Singapore International Film Festival for Buddha Mountain.
• 2011 - Won the Best Film Award at the Barcelona, Spain Casa Asia Film Festival Week for "Buddha Mountain".
• 2010 - Won the Award for Best Artistic Contribution at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival for "Buddha Mountain".
• 2010 - Was nominated for the Main Competition - Tokyo Award at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival for "Buddha Mountain".
• 2007 - Won the Jury Prize at the 5th Bangkok International Film Festival for "Lost in Beijing".
• 2007 - Won the Screenplay Honor Award at the 6th Tribeca Film Festival for "Lost in Beijing".
• 2007 - Was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival in the Main Competition category for "Lost in Beijing".
• 2006 - Won the Best New Director Award at the 6th Chinese Film Media Awards for "Dam Street".
• 2005 - Won the International League Art Film Award at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival for "Dam Street".
• 2002 - Won the Promotion of Asian Cinema Award - Special mention at the 52nd Berlin International Film Festival for "Fish and Elephant".
• 2001 - Won the Film Award for Female Subjects at the 58th Venice International Film Festival for "Fish and Elephant".

Li Yu's Filmography

Here is a list of the films Li Yu has directed or produced: