A writer and photographer in China, Ying moved to Canada from Beijing in 1997 first as an international student then became a landed immigrant. As a migrant navigating between multiple cultures, Ying is fascinated by stories that reveal the geopolitical complexity of

global migration. Her younger sister developed a mental illness after immigrating to North America. Inspired by her sister’s experience, Ying wrote and directed her first feature film Sisters. The World is Bright is Ying’s second film tackling the topic of immigration and mental health from a broader sociocultural perspective.

Ying’s credits as a documentary filmmaker include Executive Producer of Tricks on the Dead: The Story of Chinese Labour Corps in WWI, a Canada-China-France co-production that won two 2016 Canadian Screen Awards and the 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival Audience Must See Award.

While making the documentary, in 2007, Ying co-founded Cinevolution Media Arts Society (www.cinevolutionmedia.com) in Richmond BC, a city with one of the highest new immigrant populations in Canada. Under her 10-year leadership, Cinevolution brought contemporary migrant experiences into the global conversation and grew into one of the most promising arts organizations in metro Vancouver.