Jiayi Li (Kayi): Producer, Director, and Editor 

Jiayi Li is a Chinese-American documentary filmmaker based in San Francisco. She holds a B.A. in Film from UC Berkeley, an additional AA in Cinema Production from City College of San Francisco, and participated in The Bay Area Video Coalition’s Emerging Media Maker Program. Fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Taishanese, Jiayi has excelled as a reporter for Sky Link TV, skillfully producing, filming, and editing stories covering politics, violence, economics, and the Asian American community. Notably, her documentary “Far East Café: One of S.F. Chinatown’s Oldest Restaurants Slated to Close after 100 Years During the Pandemic” received the prestigious 2020 California Ethnic Media Award.

Her research interests revolve around exploring the narratives of marginalized individuals and communities, immigrant life, cultural conflicts, and social challenges. As a film director, videographer, and editor, her recent work, Walking in the Dream, an autobiographical piece, delving into the journey of a Chinese immigrant girl transitioning into adulthood, was showcased at Roxie Theater and earned her the Best Experimental Film Award at the 2022 City Short Student Film Festival. Additionally, her short documentary, The Art of Fortune Cookie, focuses on preserving the traditional craft of hand-made fortune cookies and has gained recognition at international film festivals.

Jiayi’s commitment to historical and cultural preservation is further evident through her collaboration with community leaders Gordon Chin and Norman Fong at the Chinatown Community Development Center. Together, they directed three series of short historical documentaries: “Roots,” “Saving Chinese Playground,” “Mei Lun Yun,” “Chinatown TRIP,”  “People, Places, and Power,” and “I Left My Heart in Chinatown,” all of which contribute significantly to the preservation of Chinatown’s rich history.