Meet Cindy Di Xin | Film director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy Di Xin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy Di, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
After I graduated with my undergrad in communication major, I decided to start my filmmaking journey. I went to New York to receive my master’s degree at the School of Visual Arts in Directing. It was an intense year for me. I started to learn the foundation of making a film, creating a story, and working with other crew on production sets. I realized that it was a more challenging journey than I thought, but that was one of the most meaningful moments in my life. I felt pain when I stuck in some ideas, but I felt more happiness and grateful when my audience was touched by my work. It wasn’t easy for me to be a director here. Being a foreign woman filmmaker in the American film industry is difficult. People always prefer to work or hire those who are local or have a reliable status as residents of this country.

Additionally, if you want to direct, you must work harder to convince the cast that you are just as competent as a male director. I am still trying to do what I believe in. This is the way I can boost my power stronger in the film industry and overcome the challenges.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The thing that sets me apart from others is I used to be a person who lacked confidence. Low self-confidence fuels my drive to develop into a stronger director.In the past, other people’s voices were always louder than my own voice, and I always hide my own thoughts and feelings deeply. Therefore, I consequently grew as a listener to the experiences and emotions of others. After hearing about other people’s stories more and more, I began to wonder about my own life and story. I then began to make up new, original stories based on both my own experiences and those of other people.Film is a media that allows me to share the stories without really saying it, but showing it visually.

I think the most proud of or excited about is not a practical thing; it about a connection builds up. After several screening events of my short film <The day, at the Beach>, and <Voiceless>, I have numerous audiences keep touching with me about each of their connection to my films, and even share their own stories to me. The biggest achievement for me is when audiences feel my films are around them, connect with them, and even my films can be the voices for them.

How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy?
In my past life, I have been through so many kinds of relationship experiences from my own and my parents. Loneliness is the word always around me. I am an introvert person; I have experienced some of the things and feelings that I eager to share and finding people who have the same feeling as me; but I am not brave enough to do that or tell. I started to try finding the connection from movie, and I started to watch so many movies. After I have several times of these process, I realize I can find similar stories that connect with me and that helped me relief and heal, but what is the character’s feelings have always been minimize in a film. From that on, I always try to catch up and analyze and remember the feelings that I feel and want to make a film is not only talk/share about a story but focus more on the character’s internal feeling. I think film is a media for connecting people from group to group. I want to make my audience to feel less lonely in their lives from my film. That brought me to this role as a filmmaker, a small median person. It wasn’t easy for me to be a director here. Being a foreign woman filmmaker in the American film industry is difficult. People always prefer to work or hire those who are local or have a reliable status as residents of this country. Additionally, if you want to direct, you must work harder to convince the cast that you are just as competent as a male director. I am still trying to do what I believe in. This is the way I can boost my own power stronger in the film industry and overcome the challenges.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.
Passion always is a good guider to you. Getting advice from others is always a good way to advance your knowledge or learn something new, but it’s also crucial to learn how to draw from your own experiences. Allow your passion to lead the way as you begin to discover your own life and experiences. This will help you become more aware of what it is that you truly desire in your life.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I want the world to know that I am a storyteller who always eager to learn human’s emotions and stories. There shouldn’t be any voices or stories in the world that are left alone. I do care about everyone’s voice and stories.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite parts of being a filmmaker is scouting. I found so many interesting places while I was scouting for my films. LA is a diverse city with so many different cultures. I would love to take my friends to the fashion district to see a different from the typical LA with so many little shops and different kinds of people. I would love to take them to K-town late at night to enjoy the unique Asian foods. I would love to take them to Getty and LACMA during the daytime to get inspiration from other great artists. In the afternoon, I would love to take them to natural places like Malibu creek state park to meditate and get inspiration from our motherland. During the sunset, I would like to take them to the beach to watch the beautiful sunset. LA is a place that includes so many stories and ideas….

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is to my grandma from my mother’s side. Despite having no formal education, she has taught and inspired me about what love is, how to feel, and how to be a good person. When I was a small child, my grandpa died. Since then, my grandma has taught me the importance of being a strong, independent woman. She is strong and sensitive. She would sob in front of me when she missed my grandfather and wished he were back in her life. She is also a strong, courageous woman who will stand up for me when I need her. Despite having Alzheimer’s and not being able to function, she continued to teach me a lot throughout my life. These encouraging comments from my grandmother, who always has my back, make me feel better. She always expresses her deep affection for me and supports my every decision.

Website: https://www.cindy-dixin.com/

Instagram: Cindyxxindi

Image Credits
Photos are taken by Carol Wu, Joe Lim, and Nathan Tung