Director, Writer, Producer, Professor.
Anna Chi was born and raised in China. As a young girl, she was a zealous Red Guard, and as a young woman, an accomplished Film Editor and Producer with a literature degree.
In China, the Communist Party wouldn’t let her tell the stories she wanted to tell, so Ms. Chi took a leap of faith and came to Los Angeles where she attended UCLA film school and graduated with an MFA in Directing.
She has gone on to helm award-winning independent films including Blindness, Dim Sum Funeral, Cicada Summer (Mandarin Language), Surprise Island (Animated), and Swimming (Short). Ms. Chi just completed her latest feature, The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu, which has starting sales and distribution with Bob Berney’s Picturehouse.
Her writing credits include scripts for Miramax Pictures, John Wu’s Lionrock Entertainment, Xu Ligong’s Zoomhunt Entertainment in Taiwan, Xu Feng’s Tomson Company in Hong Kong, and Rosat Entertainment in China. Additionally, Ms. Chi has developed an animated feature script for DreamWorks and a theme park project for Disney World.
As a Producer, Ms. Chi has put together co-financing and co-producing projects between China and Hollywood, including projects like IMAX’s recent Asteroid Hunter and Sundance award-winning film Burden starring Forest Whitaker and Garrett Hedlund. Her grasp of Hollywood and Chinese productions, direct relationships with creative and government leaders in China, understanding of current audience tastes in the East and West, and her deep experience with both cultures empower her to play a unique and leading role in bringing out the best from both sides.
Ms. Chi has worked on numerous films with top Hollywood directors, including Wayne Wang’s The Joy Luck Club, Oliver Stone’s Nixon, and Chen Kaige’s Killing Me Softly. Her studio associations have included Legendary Pictures, Disney, DreamWorks, and ABC.
Ms. Chi currently resides in Los Angeles where she is married to Doug Smith, has two children (Sean and Miana), two cats (Chai and Longjing), one dog (Oolong), and one chicken named Plum.
Director’s reel.
Selected works.
2021
The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu
Feature Film
Director/Writer/Producer
Picturehouse Production, US
Starring Lisa Lu, Joely Fisher, Michelle Krusiec, Adrian Pasdar
2019
Swimming
Short Film
Director/Writer/Executive Producer
Big Llama Studio Production, US
Starring Ming-Na Wen, Rochelle Ying
2016
Tales of Legends AKA Jian Xia Qing Yuan
Short Film
Director/Writer
Rosat Media, Li Xiao Wan Producer, China
2016
Surprise Island
Feature Animation
Co-Director
Legacy Classics Production, Dan Chuba Producer, US
Starring J.K Simon, Martin Sheen
2014
Lost Summer
Feature Film
Director/Writer
Xing Hui Tian Ji Productions, Liang Ting Producer, China
2014
Neusoft
Infomercial
Director/Writer/Producer
Neusoft USA, US
2009
Dim Sum Funeral
Feature Film
Director
HBO and Reelone Production, Clark Peterson Producer, US
Resumé.
Experience
2021 - Present
Professor, ArtCenter College of Design, Los Angeles, US
Screen Writing 101
2021
Director, Writer, Producer, Feature Film, Picturehouse Production, US
The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu
Starring Lisa Lu, Joely Fisher, Michelle Krusiec, Adrian Pasdar
2020
Producer, Documentary, IMAX and Huahuang Production, US
Asteroid Hunters
2019
Director/Writer/Executive Producer, Short Film, Big Llama Studio Production, US
Swimming
Starring Ming-Na Wen, Rochelle Ying
2018
Visiting Professor, Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, China
Screen Writing
2017
Executive Producer, Feature Film, The Firm Production, Robbie Brenner Producer, US
Burden
Starring Garrett Hedlund, Forest Whitaker, Tom Wilkinson, Usher
2016
Co-Director, Feature Animation, Legacy Classics Production, Dan Chuba Producer, US
Surprise Island
Starring J.K Simon, Martin Sheen
2016
Director/Writer, Short Film, Rosat Media, Li Xiao Wan Producer, China
Tales of Legends AKA Jian Xia Qing Yuan
2016
Associate Producer, Feature Film, Jade Pendant Production, Thomas Leong Producer, Chih Leong Director, China
Jade Pendant
2015
Writer, Feature Film, Hua Shi Media, Wang Chen Producer, China
Land of Dou Luo
2014
Director/Writer, Feature Film, Xing Hui Tian Ji Productions, Liang Ting Producer, China
Lost Summer
2014
Director/Writer/Producer, Infomercial, Neusoft USA, US
Neusoft Automotive
2013
Writer, Feature Film, China Lion Production, Jiang Yanming Producer, China
Golden Shield
2012
Writer, Feature Film, Zoomhunt Productions, Hsu Li Kong Producer, Taiwan
Jiangshan
2012
Writer, Feature Animation, Dreamworks Animation Studio, US
Dragon Fish
2012
Project Consultant, Theme Park Circlevision, Disney Imaginaries, US
Journey to China
2011
Writer, Television, The Haunting Hour Productions, Dan Angle Producer, US
The Haunting Hour - Bad Feng Shui
2009
Director, Feature Film, HBO and Reelone Production, Clark Peterson Producer, US
Dim Sum Funeral
2007
Writer, Feature Film, Zoomhunt Procdution, Hsu Li Kong Producer, Taiwan
The Mermaid
2006
Co-Director, Feature Film, North by Northwest Production, Wayne Wang Director, US
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
2006
Writer, Feature Animation, Lionrock Production, Terence Chang Producer, US
Ninja Princess
1998
Director/Writer/Producer, Feature Film, Pathfounder Pictures, US
Blindness
Starring Joe Lando, Vivian Wu, Lisa Lu
Awards
2022
Best Achievement in Directing Award, Universe Multicultural Film Festival
The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu
2021
Best Drama Short Award, Universe Multicultural Film Festival
Swimming
2018
Audience Award, Sundance International Film Festival
Burden
2009
Best Picture Award, Chinese American Film Festival
Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema Nominee, Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Dim Sum Funeral
1998
Best Picture Award Finalist, Hollywood Film Festival
Blindness
Education
1989 –1992
Master of Fine Arts, Film and Television Directing, UCLA Film School