Finding Yingying, a documentary by Jiayan “Jenny” Shi, will be available to screen on Vimeo for free April 2nd through 9th (5 to 8 p.m. only). On Tuesday, April 6th, you can catch a conversation and Q and A about the film with Jiayan “Jenny” Shi (director, producer, cinematographer), Brent E. Huffman (producer), and Shilin Sun (co-producer, cinematographer).
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.
The film will be available to stream on Vimeo, but you must register here.
The event is made possible by the Spurlock Museum, 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, The 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.
Top image from the Spurlock Museum’s events website.
