Born and raised in Beijing, China, Yan Cui embarked on a career in the entertainment industry, initially working as an actress and assistant director at the Beijing Film Studio. Following her relocation to Canada, Yan pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film and Media Arts Studies from Ryerson Polytechnical University. Her subsequent professional development was marked by a prestigious residency at the Norman Jewison's Canadian Film Center, where she was a 1994 Director Resident.
Yan's feature film debut, CHINESE CHOCOLATE, garnered widespread recognition, including the International Confederation of Art Cinemas Award at the Berlin Film Festival, the Best Director award at the Palm Springs Film Festival, and official selection status at over 40 film festivals worldwide. The film's global release ranked it among the top 10 box office hits in Brazil.
Yan's second feature, TIAN SHANG REN JIAN (YELLOW WEDDING),was a co-production between China, Singapore, and Canada, premiering in Singapore and receiving distribution in Asia. The film was officially selected by several prominent film festivals, including the World Film Festival of Montreal, Canada New Voice of IFFM New York, and the Asian Pacific Film Festival.
Yan's first Chinese romantic comedy, LOVE, SIMPLY, was theatrically released nationwide in China in July 2015. Her latest Chinese film, WHEN AFRICA MEETS YOU, a road adventure romantic story set in Zimbabwe, S. Africa, premiered in New York on October 12, 2018, and had its Africa premiere in Harare, Zimbabwe on March 21, 2019. The film was theatrically released in China nationwide on October 19, 2018, and later premiered on Chinese National TV, attracting over 40 million viewers on August 25, 2020.
In addition to her feature films, Yan has also directed several award-winning short films and commercials, including LATE AFTERNOON, THERE TRY ALIVE, THINGS IN BETWEEN, and HARM'S WAY. These projects have been officially selected at prominent film festivals, such as the USA Film Festival and the Atlantic Film Festival, and have been showcased on platforms like "Shameless Short" and "CFC Retrospective".
