Luo Jian {LwOr-TSian} is a writer–director born in the Uyghur Autonomous Region of China on the Gobi Desert, a place said to be the world’s furthest point from the sea. It is where Asia and Europe meet. It is the West of the East and the East of the West — just like her films.

An NYU MFA graduate, her film What Do You Know About the Water and the Moon premiered at Clermont-Ferrand (‘19, grand prix nominee) and screened at 40+ festivals including BFI London Film Festival (best short nominee), Palm Springs International Film Festival (best live-action) and Stockholm International Film Festival (Aluminum Horse), before it launched the NOWNESS Asia platform as one of its 6 international launching films. Her latest short Under the Wave off Little Dragon, co-produced by the BFI and Film4, had its premiere at the 76th Berlinale, where it received dual Special Mentions for Best Short Film from both the International Jury and the Children’s Jury.

Alongside storytelling, Jian also directs commercials — from cars to detergents. She is represented by CANADA and has collaborated with brands including Mercedes-Benz, Tiffany & Co. and Nike. The branded film she wrote and directed for Martell in Paris won GOLD at the 1.4 AWARDS for best brand work, as well as Best Commercial at the Berlin Commercial Festival.

Still not feeling busy enough, Jian teaches filmmaking to elderly immigrants at senior centers in Flushing, New York.

“A very tender exploration of the many ways in which migration impacts culture, identity and family cohesion.”

— Berlin International Film Festival (76th edition)

Selected Awards

Film

• Berlinale — Dual Special Mentions for Best Short Film, International Jury & Children’s Jury, 2026

• Palm Springs International ShortFest — Best Live-Action Short, 2020

• Stockholm International Film Festival — Aluminum Horse, 2020

• BFI London Film Festival — Best Short Film Nominee, 2019

• Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival — Grand Prix Nominee, 2019

• Prague Short Film Festival — Jury Award, 2019

• Pendance Film Festival — Jury Award, 2019

commercial

• The ADC Annual Awards — Fusion Cube Award, 2022

• 1.4 Awards — Gold for Best Branded Work, 2021

• Berlin Commercial Festival — Gold Nominee for Best Commercial/Branded Content/Cinematography, 2021

Grants / Honors

• Ang Lee Grant

• Hollywood Foreign Press Award

Filmography

Under the Wave off Little Dragon short film: When her goldfish dies, six-year-old Feifei sets off through a small Welsh seaside town in search of answers. Her journey leads her to reimagine a folktale from her mother’s homeland - on her own terms.

The Windless Mystica Season 3 documentary series: Since Wa musician Yong’s death, his band stopped playing Wa music. Three years later, the band decided to take a pilgrimage back to Yong's hometown, reuniting with their lost partner in rivers, trees, dreams and the sound of Wa violin.

Naomang short film: Tailor by day, chef by night… On the 32nd floor of a commercial compound in Beijing, there is a man who leaves behind his life as a tailor to run a midnight canteen. 

What Do You Know About the Water and the Moon short film: A woman gives birth to a jellyfish during an attempted abortion.

Cheongsam short film: In the course of mourning, a widow buys a cheongsam that once belonged to her husband’s mistress.

Nobody Says I Love You short film: Three young Chinese women discover, during a game of Never Have I Ever, that none of them has ever said “I love you” to their parents. Tonight, they decide to do it together.

Guqin documentary: In a Confucian temple on the edge of the Gobi Desert, a guqin master devotes his life to teaching and preserving an ancient Chinese instrument.

Grandma Gao documentary: Yaojie Gao (93), a Chinese AIDS activist honoured by the United Nations, eats soup alone in her kitchen in New York.