JINGYI (HELEN) LI

When I think about storytelling, I don’t imagine grand revolutions or overnight changes. Instead, I picture movement—slow but steady, inch by inch. I believe every storyteller holds the power to push the world slightly in a positive direction. A single film may not instantly change someone’s mind, but stories accumulate. One voice joins another, and together they move us further than we could alone.

This belief is what anchors me as a filmmaker. Ironically, even as my heart belongs to stories, I’m currently pursuing a Master of Behavioral Decision Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. Why? Because I care about the real obstacles that stories face in reaching audiences. Stories don’t just live in a vacuum; they collide with economics, psychology, and access. My experiences as a student producer and as a distribution intern taught me that producing and strategy matter just as much as creativity. Supporting filmmakers, breaking down barriers, and connecting stories with the people who need them is where my passion lies. I want to understand not just how to tell a story, but how people receive it.

That curiosity about reception also comes from my own journey across cultures. Growing up in Beijing, studying in Geneva, training in film production at Boston University, and working briefly in Hollywood all showed me how context shapes not just the stories we tell, but the way audiences respond. Later, at Menemsha Films, I worked with Jewish-centered storytelling in distribution and marketing, a completely new cultural lens that reminded me how cinema changes meaning depending on who is watching. These experiences taught me that stories are never static; they shift and take on new life as they cross borders, languages, and communities.

In Philadelphia, I found JTWO Films, a studio exploring the kinds of stories I care about, projects that combine creativity, strategy, and social impact. Seeing how their work connects with audiences reminded me why I am drawn to filmmaking that balances vision with real-world resonance.

It was this intersection between story, strategy, and culture that affirmed my passion for producing while also drawing me to explore directing, particularly in documentary. My short observational film, Pópo, emerged from a collaboration with the Good Shepherd Community hospice team and explored cultural nuances in end-of-life care. It was not only about documenting reality, but also about navigating taboos, bridging generational divides, and creating space for conversations people often avoid. Directing Pópo confirmed for me that filmmaking is both an art and an act of translation: shaping real experiences into stories that audiences from different backgrounds can connect with.

I don’t yet know exactly what my voice as a director will sound like years from now. But whether through producing, distribution, or documentary, my work will always sit at the intersection of storytelling and strategy, culture and human behavior. Because I believe stories are meant to be carried—like luggage, passed from one person to another—inch by inch, moving us toward something greater together.