10 Questions with Yang Liu

Yang Liu (Lizzy Liu) is a director, producer, and writer based in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Emerson College, majoring in Film and Media Art with an MFA degree. Previously, she received her BFA degree at Beijing Film Academy. Through global film production studies from China to the US, she has built solid theoretical and practical experiences with a deep insight into the international film market. Working as the Creative Executive at Starlight Media Inc., she supervises Indie Film, Documentary, and Animation departments. She is also in charge of the “Stars Collective” program as the Executive Officer of North America for providing funds and supporting BIPOC and female filmmakers.

Liu has written and directed several award-winning films in the past, including A Matter of Time, World Without End, and Tessellation. Her work has been nominated and won many international film festivals, such as LA Shorts(Oscar, BAFTA qualified), Holly Shorts(Oscar qualified), WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, and New York City Independent Film Festival. Currently, she is working closely with Academy Award winner Donna Gigliotti and Academy Award nominee Diane Quon in the post-production and distribution process of an award-winning documentary Wuhan Wuhan, and an indie feature film Nezouh funded by BFI and Film 4 recently was selected for 2022 Venice Film Festival, Orizzonti Extra and BFI London Film Festival.

www.yangliulizzy.com

ARTIST STATEMENT

“I fell in love with filmmaking because it naturally triggers all of my senses and passions. When I make films, I show my most sincere kindness and sensitive feelings to reflect and express my perspectives on viewing the world and the society around me. My artwork always includes the elements of critical analysis and radical opinions towards the environment where I live, but I apply a moderate form of expression in my work to deliver the ideas. My film itself creates a strong contrast and irony between the content and format.

I believe that everything that happens in our daily life is a representation that has a deeper meaning. I enjoy observing, thinking, reflecting, and communicating my ideas to the audience using visual and audio language because I believe that film, as the most effective art format, can always positively influence the public and justify unexposed inequities. My attitude to my work is humble and modest, but it’s pure, determined, and respectful. I’m not an articulate speaker, so let my films be my voice.” - Yang Liu

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. What are your history and your artistic background?

Hi, this is Yang Liu. I go by Lizzy as well. I am currently a Los Angeles-based film producer and director, originally from China. I studied art as a child and graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2017 with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, majoring in Film Visual Effects, during which I worked on many pre-productions and shooting in the film industry, mainly as a Production Designer and Concept Artist. After graduating, I moved to the United States for graduate school and graduated from Emerson College in 2020 with a major in Film and Media Art, during which I specialized in film producing and directing skills. I believe that my background in fine arts greatly helps my further career in the film industry, and as a result, I have made many award-winning short films and commercials later. Now, I'm glad to work in Hollywood as a film producer and director, giving me a chance to make my dream come true. 

You already have an interesting career, working on many productions and interesting projects. How did you get interested in filmmaking in the first place? 

I have loved watching movies since I was a kid, and I think they are the source that opened up my creative imagination. Through movies, I learned about different cultures and ideas, allowing me to think more objectively and independently. I love different types of movies, from Sci-fi to arthouse films, as long as their stories can move me. When I grew up, it was natural for me to choose film as my lifelong career.

You have also received many international prizes for your films. What is your favorite memory as an artist so far? And what is your most significant achievement to date?

As a director, producer, and screenwriter, I believe true storytelling resonates across cultures. I remember being there at the 54th Houston Would-fest screening is one of my best memories! The Festival can be considered the cradle of many famous filmmakers, like Ang Lee and Spielberg. I was very honored to receive the Grand Remi Award and my first "Little Golden Man" trophy, because my film was shot in China, and it was about the life of the Chinese people at the bottom. But I didn't expect that after the screening, an American mother with her children would come to me and tell me that she thought my film was the best among all the films at the screening. Because the story was very realistic, and she could empathize with it from her own life. This was also a very moving moment for me, and it made me realize for the first time that my films can affect people from different races, countries, and regions. So I will keep this feeling in mind and create more works that audiences around the world can empathize with.

Do you find that living in Los Angeles gives you a significant advantage in your chosen career path? And how is the city influencing your work and the themes you incorporate? 

Living in Los Angeles has helped me greatly in my professional development and artistic training. Like most filmmakers, I chose to move to Los Angeles after graduation because Hollywood is the icon of the film industry. When I came here, I met many like-minded young filmmakers who came from different countries but shared the same passion for film. In addition, I was able to get a job at a film production company where I was exposed to many top resources and connections, as well as I was in charge of many important production work as a producer. I met many of the pioneers in the industry and learned a lot from their professional experience and responsible attitude.

And how do you approach and work on a new project? Can you walk us through the production of one of your films?  

I believe that when choosing a subject matter, one should not be very limited to what one has done or is good at, but should go out and explore new areas more aggressively while, of course, maintaining a high quality of storytelling. For my previous works, I can cite the creation of my short film "A Matter of Time". It is a realistic drama film, and I like this type of film very much, such as the Chinese director Jia Zhangke and the Japanese director Koreeda Hirokazu. I like their meticulous observation of life and the way they use film language to express the emotions and connections of ordinary people at certain stages and under certain circumstances in society. Therefore, I chose to write a script of this type, focusing on a grandmother living alone in her old age in China to emphasize unseen groups.

Where do you find inspiration for your works? And how did you evolve this way of working?

I think there are many ways to generate inspiration, such as reflecting on my own life experiences and thoughts, but also some books, artworks, and movies. I think it's more about wanting to express my attitude towards life as an artist and my thoughts on social issues. After choosing a topic, I will conduct detailed research and further study, including interviewing people with similar experiences in the field, reading a lot of materials and documents, and watching similar types of films. These preliminary searches and thoughts help me a lot because I will refine my ideas in the process and will generate new and better ideas. Later, when I have a solid idea, I would write it down and discuss the logic and feasibility of the story with trusted mentors and friends around me, and listen to their feedback. A good script always requires a million times of polishing and questioning, and there are many times of excitement and self-doubt in the process, but I enjoy this "painful and happy" creative process.

Is there anything else you would like to tackle with your work but still haven't had the chance to do? 

I've always aspired to produce, direct and write my work, and I'm certainly working in that direction. The film is a teamwork art, and it's also an art where business and art are closely intertwined. It's a long process to create a project and get financing ready to shoot, and there are many factors to consider as well. But I believe it's not something that can't be accomplished. At this stage, I am conceiving and creating my feature film and accumulating a lot of experience and resources in the industry. I firmly believe that shortly, my works will meet a global audience in cinemas.

Over the past year, we have witnessed many changes in the art world that have hugely impacted how we make art and look at it. Do you feel these changes impacted the film industry as well? And if so, how? 

I believe we should always embrace new ideas and technologies, but we should also not forget our beginnings. In an era of rapid change in the art industry, I think the traditional film industry is also facing many challenges and innovations. For example, film narrative will be applied more to the gaming, VR, and meta-universe ecosystems, which are very popular now. Many companies are also actively exploring this area, especially how to "decentralize" the production of films and how to let the public decide the direction of the film in the early stages, which I think is a very interesting experiment that could have many unexpected results. In addition, all the film industries are looking more at the value of IP to build their story universes and make more digital derivative products based on films, such as games and NFT.

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

As a producer, I am developing two feature-length film projects in the futuristic and soft sci-fi genres, and as a writer and director, I am also drafting the outline of my first feature-length film. I'm also practicing in the field of game development and developing film products combined with NFT productions, which are new areas for me and very exciting!

And finally, share something you would like our readers to know about you.

I believe that good artworks are created with noble artistic ideals and down-to-earth work and that the spread and development of films have no borders. As a young female filmmaker from Asia, I hope to do more good works with my efforts and perseverance and let more people see them. In addition, I also want to break the stereotype through the film and prove that women filmmakers are talented and powerful.