About me

Zichen Zhao is a creative producer and director based in New York and Beijing. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Screenwriting from Beijing Film Academy and is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Producing at Columbia University. With a foundation in screenwriting, he brings a distinctive creative sensibility to his producing work, offering comprehensive support from story development through on-set execution. He is also a recipient of the Indian Paintbrush Film Production Grant and The Michael Hausman/Buffalo Mike Filmhaus Foundation Award. The films he directed and produced has been selected for prestigious film festivals such as Palm Springs ShortFest, FIRST IFF, Cleveland IFF, Aichi Women’s IFF, and St. John’s Women’s IFF. Zhao’s works often explore realism and social issues, revealing the overlooked and marginalized aspects of contemporary life through a raw and critical lens. His produced shorts A Room with a Sea View and How to Prepare Your Home for Sale are currently in post-production.