AsiaLENS: Finding Yingying (Virtual Screening + Online Filmmaker Discussion)

Event Type

Film Screening

Sponsor

Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies/Asian Educational Media Service, Illinois Global Institute, Center for African Studies, Center for Global Studies, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, European Union Center, Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies, Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center, Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Spurlock Museum

Date

Apr 6, 2021   5:00 - 6:00 pm  

Speaker

Jiayan “Jenny” Shi (director, producer, cinematographer); Brent E. Huffman (producer); Shilin Sun (co-producer, cinematographer)

Registration

Link

Contact

Jason Finkelman

E-Mail

finkelma@illinois.edu

Views

4

Originating Calendar

Campus Humanities Calendar

An award winning documentary debut by Chicago-based filmmaker Jiayan Shi, Finding Yingying presents the tragic story of Yingying Zhang, the 26-year-old Chinese student who disappeared from the University of Illinois campus in 2017. In deftly balancing one of the most tragic events to befall Urbana Champaign, this film humanizes Yingying through her own diary reflections and the perspectives of her family and friends. With exclusive access gained by trust, Shi closely follows the family’s journey as they search to unravel the mystery of Yingying’s disappearance and seek justice for their daughter while navigating a strange, foreign country. As an international student, Shi knowingly conveys the universal hopes, dreams and fears of families with loved ones studying abroad.