Mida Chu

Born in a male body in Suzhou, China, a culturally underrated city, Mida spent the last ten years in the States, attempting to destroy the identities she has inherited from the Chinese and the American influences. Confused by life, she studied philosophy at NYU and was accepted as a PhD student at UCLA. In a not-so-dramatic turn of events, her Dionysian side won over the Apollonian side. She came to realize that she could only express her authentic self through films, which is why she's currently finishing her MFA in directing at the American Film Institute. She was one of the seven finalists of the 2014 National YoungArts Competition. Her shorts have been official selections at film festivals including the Los Angeles Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, EnergaCamerimage, etc. She served on the program committee of Miami Film Festival in 2020 and 2021. Mida is also an avid collaborator of theater. She did media design for Round Room Image's experimental play "Surrounded", which toured in Longmont, Chicago, and Winnipeg. She co-founded Lamplighter Productions with Jordan Sucher and developed an original play "How to Be a GoodPerson(TM)", which opened in New York City and toured in Pittsburgh.