Rain Li left China for England at the age of 16 to pursue her dream as a filmmaker and throughout her teenage years she worked her way up from gaffer to cinematographer.
At the age of 19, Rain shot her first feature film, which started her long-time collaboration with renowned cinematographer/director Christopher Doyle (In the mood for love, Hero, 2046 etc.)
Throughout her 20’s, Rain collaborated with many internationally renowned directors, including Jim Jarmusch, Gus Van Sant and Mike Figgis. The film Paranoid Park directed by Gus Van Sant, shot by Rain, received the special 60th Anniversary prize of the International Cannes Film Festival in 2007.
At 24, Rain was voted one of the 10 best Cinematographers of the year by Variety and received the Best Cinematographer award from The Boston Film Critic just two years later.
Alongside her work as a cinematographer, Rain has also found success in directing. Before her feature debut, she directed commercials and short films for many international-renowned brands, including; Dries Van Noten, Yohji Yamamoto, Dove and Uniqlo.
Her first directorial debut was Beijing New York and was exceptionally well received across China and received many awards internationally. Itts beautiful and epic cinematic language is unique among Chinese movies. Some Chinese critics claim that Beijing New York is not just a love story, it has left a mark in the Chinese film industry in terms of its exquisite cinematic quality and honesty.
Rain is a unique filmmaker, with a strong creative vision that translates globally. The core of her work is telling captivating stories that engage audiences with deep emotion through powerful images and atmospheric sounds.
Rain is based between London, LA and Beijing. It is her desire to bring her unique vision, voice and experiences to screens worldwide.