Lydia Rui is an award-winning Chinese Australian writer/director based in the UK. She is a 2022 NFTS MA Directing Fiction graduate, with support from Screen Australia Enterprise and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust. She grew up between mainland China, Hong Kong, Australia, and Singapore, moving between different familial structures, before graduating with a BFA in Film & TV from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She went on to be the videographer for Beyoncé’s Mrs. Carter World Tour, and returned to Australia to be a Director’s Assistant at Exit Films (Garth Davis, Glendyn Ivin, Mark Molloy).

In 2023, they were selected for the TorinoScriptLab, TIFF Filmmaker Lab, and Zurich Film Festival Academy for their feature film ‘Counting Cards with My Father’, which has received Screen Australia development funding. They are also in development with Pulse Films on their psychological horror film, ‘The Island’ (working title).

Their short films as writer/director have screened at Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying festivals such as Tribeca Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, HollyShorts, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Flickerfest International Short Film Festival, and been Vimeo Staff Picked.