Lydia Rui is a Chinese Australian writer and
director based in the UK. She/they grew
up between mainland China, Hong Kong,
Australia, and Singapore, before graduating
with a BFA in Film & TV from NYU Tisch
School of the Arts after stymied pursuits
in nature documentary, primatology, and
the humanities. At the age of 23, they
travelled through North America and Europe
as the videographer for Beyoncé’s Mrs.
Carter World Tour. In 2020, they won the
Flickerfest International Short Film Festival’s
Rebel8 Emerging Female Filmmaker Award
and have been Australian Directors’ Guild
Award nominated twice. They are a recent
MA of Directing Fiction graduate from the
National Film & Television School, UK, with
support from Screen Australia Enterprise
and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust Fund.
Her short films have screened at festivals
such as Tribeca Film Festival, Melbourne
International Film Festival, Rhode Island
International Film Festival, HollyShorts Film
Festival, L’Etrange Festival, and been Vimeo
Staff Picked. They are currently developing
their debut, Counting Cards With My Father
at the TorinoFilmLab 2023 and are also
in development with Pulse Films for their
feature, The Island (working title). They have
recently been profiled as one of five ESEA
filmmakers to watch in the UK.