Xinyu Cindy Li

Writer / Director / Producer / Editor / Videographer
Film & TV / Virtual Production

Xinyu (Cindy) Li is a writer, director, producer, and editor specializing in narrative, documentary, and hybrid storytelling. Her work explores themes of nostalgia, identity, memory, and human connection, often blending realism with surrealist elements to create immersive, emotionally resonant stories.

A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she holds a BA in Film and TV and a Master’s in Virtual Production, where she integrates traditional filmmaking techniques with emerging technologies.

Drawing from her experiences navigating between Beijing and New York, she captures fleeting moments and subtle emotions, inviting audiences into spaces where reality and dreams converge.

Films

Nomad

Virtual Production Narrative Short film

In a post-apocalyptic world where time is frozen, a nomad carrying an unfinished videotape arrives at a mysterious mountain filled with caves, seeking the last remnants of time.

Elbow

Narrative Short film - Boston International Film Festival Official Selection

A Chinese photographer who works in New York discovers that her mother, whom she hasn't seen for seven years, is the model for her next photoshoot.

Hydrogen Balloon

Narrative Short film

A Chinese young man who lives in Brooklyn reconnects with his home while looking for a hydrogen balloon, with an old man who spends his whole life picking pine cones.

Insomnia

Narrative Short film

On the night before his daughter's wedding, a single father struggles to fall asleep. After a series of troubles, the father falls asleep on the floor, just before the wedding begins.