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Jia

@j__.li

2.8K
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3022
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📍 Documentary Cinematographer
3x Emmy 🏆 (news/doc)
Docs always @fromhitolo
@doccinematographersalliance member @browngirlsdocmafia fellow
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New film: “Yung Ho Chang, In Love with the Tangible World”, a 27min documentary following the Chinese-American architect as he visits Sweden and the work of the Swedish masters Lewerentz, Asplund, and more. Link in bio. Made for “A Meeting with Architects” by @fromhitolo EP: @zhujulia1124 Directed by 👋 Cinematography: 👋 @j_88_f Edit: @yiwei.mov Production associate: @xuet.harry Help and friendship beyond compare: @arialxin taken in Stockholm, Sweden by @j__.li
2
10 months ago
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Tomorrow at 7pm EST on @frontlinepbs @pbs, the investigation into the deadliest American wildfire in a century, and how increasingly, Maui became more vulnerable to wildfires. A story I had the privilege of filming with an amazing team. I came away from this project knowing that Lahaina is truly a special place, and its inhabitants are so powerful and blessed to know and to be from there. From my ❤️ Link in bio Extraordinaire Director, writer & producer @echoyuxinyan Producer extraordinaire @christinaavalos DP: 👋 Amazing field producer @hawaiianinthecity Associate producer @koralie_lalie Assistant producer @krightnow Archival producer @montandont Edited by @hannahlonghiggins Associate editor @siyichenlalala Graphics @matt_dunne Original score @alihelnwein taken in Lahaina, Maui - Hawaii by @j__.li
6
2 years ago
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HiLo presents Snack Sakura, a short film following Canadian photographer @gregforaday Greg Girard as he journeys across Japan, searching for a place he once knew. We join him from town to town, bar to bar, as he moves across the country, reflecting on memory, life between cultures, and what it means to make a picture. Watch the full film on Vimeo- link in bio. Director: Jia Li Co-director: Joshua Frank Producers: Mimi Wada & Jia Li Cinematographers: Jia Li and Joshua Frank Editor: Yiwei Chen Finishing Editor: Jia Li Miracle Worker & Karaoke: Mimi Wada Music Composition: Carver Audain Sound Mix: Kristofer Riós Additional Music: Audionetwork Translation: Susan Wu Special Thanks: David Pandt, Alannah Clamp taken in Japan by @j__.li
70
2 years ago
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My name is Jia Li, and I’m a Chinese-American documentary cinematographer and filmmaker. I shot this film, directed by Xinyan Yu and featuring the Vietnamese American poet Cindy Tran and her work. The film is currently in several festivals, premiered at DOC NYC last year, and will be broadcast on PBS in May. Cindy’s poetry is full of surprises and draws from everyday life and detail. Similarly, I wanted to approach the project in an unconventional way, rather than a traditional artist profile. Fortunately, my director and everyone involved trusted this approach, and we set out to create an interwoven film mixed with interview, poetry, archival, and imagination. Much of the film was framed so that poetry could be overlaid on the image. That was something to take into consideration as we were capturing real places and real locations, but also needed a certain level of abstraction for the words to pop. I think the mix of the two turned out really well, engaging the viewer in a story that’s based in reality but also within the abstraction of memory. I wanted to work with flattering primes that could also add a pop to the image in some of the dead-of-winter landscapes we were filming in. It was also some of the coldest winter days in a lot of unheated spaces. I was shooting very small, without an AC helping to change lenses or haul gear around. Many of our locations were borrowed or quite tiny like a small bathroom, so I had to be super tight in my build and how much I could bring. I used a Sony fx6 and fx3, with Cooke Sp3 primes and glimmerglass. - DCA Member @j__.li on filming Cindy Tran: From Here to Here, a short doc film, part of the PBS American Masters & Firelight Media “In The Making” series with Director & Producer: Xinyan Yu by @j__.li
18
6 months ago
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Grateful to receive support as a @scipsychedelics documentary fellow this year, on a project I’m working on with @j_88_f in the kingdom under the clouds: Yunnan, China, exploring how a certain unique mushroom stirs our imaginations and tastes. taken in Yunnan by @j__.li
12
8 months ago
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My grandma is 99 and won’t let you win a single game of checkers taken in Beijing by @j__.li
3
10 months ago
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Favorite frames from a favorite shoot climbing all over the mountains behind these sprightly shroom hunters. Cooking something up with @j_88_f @fromhitolo by @j__.li
6
a year ago
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Excited to bring our core production team to @csulongbeach in November for a special screening of Maui’s Deadly Firestorm and journalism workshops with students. Our film won a Scripps Howard Journalism Award for Excellence in Local Video Storytelling. Made possible by @scrippshowardfd and @frontlinepbs ❤️🫡 by @j__.li
12
a year ago
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I met Cindy Tran at an anti-Asian hate rally after the Atlanta Spa Shooting in 2021. Her poem True American Sentences made me and many others in the audience tear up. I knew at that moment I needed to shine a light on Cindy and her work. I’m excited to share that my new documentary short film Cindy Tran: From Here to Here, part of the #InTheMaking series from @pbsamericanmasters and @firelight_media will have its World Premiere in New York at @docnycfest on November 15! Come meet our team: Writer - Cindy Tran @fourscorefive Editor - Hannah Long-Higgins @hannahlonghiggins DP - Jia Li @j__.li Original Score - Oscar Pan @oscarpanmusic Sound Recordist - Carver Audain Sound Designer - Carol Yan Li @carolyanl Color - Tam Le @tam_thumb_again @sodalite_color Graphic Designer - Youyang Yu @renolynx Production Assistant - Zoe Eng @zoeenggg Photo Editor - Gilles Vanderschrieck @giilliis Special Thanks (also featuring work by) - Sasha Ono @cellosasha and Ed Ou @edouphoto In The Making’ follows emerging cultural icons on their journeys to becoming masters of their artistic disciplines. See how their work explores and influences American culture today. Learn more + get tickets: docnyc.net/film/shorts-in-the-making-2025 taken in New York City by @j__.li
35
a year ago
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Still feeling overwhelmed. Last night, we accepted an Emmy for our film Maui’s Deadly Wildfire. @theemmys.tv @frontlinepbs I wish I paused to speak with more poise, but it was such an emotional moment. I thought about the families in Lahaina who lost everything and still found the strength to share their stories and knowledge with us. Their trust means everything. I’m so so so proud of our small but mighty team, who carried this story with passion and care for nearly 14 months. We are all so grateful for the recognition of our work. Shout out to all the creatives involved in this film: Producer @christinaavalos Editor @hannahlonghiggins Associate Producer @koralie_lalie Assistant Producer @krightnow DP @j__.li Graphic Designer @matt_dunne Associate Editor @siyichenlalala Original music @alihelnwein Archival Producer @montandont Field Producer @hawaiianinthecity Lastly, in times of great challenges, I urge everyone to continue believing and investing in the power of journalism and public media. 🌺 #Emmys #MauiWildfires #Lahaina #ClimateStories #Documentary #lahainafire #emmyawards #pbs #pbsfrontline #publicmedia #mauifire #climatestories #filmmaker #journalism taken in New York, New York by @j__.li
90
a year ago
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Apolis 02 -- "Departure / Return" as part of @gmffestival | March 14-16 at @crumbfactorycollective Snack Sakura (2024) by @fromhitolo Snack Sakura follows acclaimed Canadian photographer @gregforaday across Japan in search of a woman he once knew. Meditating on memory, art, and life between cultures as he obsessively journeys from town to town, Girard’s quest is sparked by a single clue: “Last I heard, she was working in a snack bar called Sakura.” Proudly contrarian but relentlessly curious, Girard has earned a cult following for his five-decade career photographing overlooked corners and massive transformation across Asia. A personal narrative, a road movie, and hybrid documentary, Snack Sakura is the first ever look into his creative process. Directed by @j__.li @j_88_f Cinematography by @j__.li @j_88_f Produced by Mimi Wada & @j__.li Edited by @yiwei.mov Screenings: MAR 14 / Friday 7PM - 8:30PM MAR 15&16 / Saturday & Sunday: 1PM - 7PM Advance tickets are now available via link in bio! by @j__.li
2
2 years ago
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