Sen-I Yu is a New York based, award-winning filmmaker originally from Taiwan. She recently wrote and directed her feature directorial debutMY HEAVENLY CITY, a film which explores the theme of blending into America, loneliness and human connections. MY HEAVENLY CITYis a Taiwan-US co-production, it received the prestigious Taiwan National Feature Film Fund and Taipei Film Commission’s International Co-Production Fund. The film was selected in the 43rd Hawaii International Film Festival and was nominated for NETPAC Award, an award to the best Asian feature film by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema in the global market.
Since September 2023, MY HEAVENLY CITYhas launched its worldwide theatrical release and has reached six countries/regions, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, United States, UK and Australia, box office earning reached 1.2 million dollars and have received positive reviews from media such as The Guardian: “Fresh, thoughtful takes on immigrant experience,” “Sen-I Yu’s sympathetic and humane film traces three loosely woven stories of people dealing with loneliness and stress in New York City…”
The short film version of MY HEAVENLY CITY won the 2020 NYC Women’s Fund by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and NY Foundation for the Arts. Sen-I has also directed six narrative short films, penned four other screenplays and edited numerous feature films and documentaries.
Another feature project, MY BEAUTY QUEEN MOM, won the 2015 HAF/Fox Film Development Award, a Screenplay Development Grant from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and a Bronze Award at the “Film Taipei” screenplay competition. Her screenplay CALIFORNIA MOMMY was a 2018 SFFILM Rainin Grant Finalist.
Sen-I’s earlier short film ACUPUNCTURE GIRL was a Student Academy Award Regional Finalist and a Wasserman Award Semi-finalist for Best Direction. Film festivals include the Asian American International Film Festival, Busan Asian Short Film Festival in Korea, Taipei Women Makes Waves Film Festival.
Sen-I has also directed various PSAs/commercial spots for Bristol Meyers Squibb, produced cosmetic makers L’O’real and Maybelline.
She is an alumna of the NYU Tisch Graduate Film Program with an MFA degree. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor in Cinema Production at Ithaca College.