Yingying Zhang, a 26-year-old Chinese student, comes to the U.S. to study. In her detailed and beautiful diaries, the aspiring young scientist and teacher is full of optimism, hoping to also be married and a mother someday. Within weeks of her arrival, Yingying disappears from the campus. Through exclusive access to Yingying’s family and boyfriend, FINDING YINGYING closely follows their journey as they search to unravel the mystery of her disappearance and seek justice for their daughter while navigating a strange, foreign country. But most of all, FINDING YINGYING is the story of who Yingying was: a talented young woman loved by her family and friends.

This film is sponsored by Infocus Eye Care

Director's Bio

Jiayan “Jenny” Shi is a Chicago-based documentary filmmaker who is passionate about social justice issues regarding people of color. Her debut feature documentary FINDING YINGYING premiered at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival and won the Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Voice. She has worked on multiple projects as a researcher, digital content editor and translator including the ITVS co-produced web series "Pulling The Thread" and the 2020 Academy Award-winning Netflix film, AMERICAN FACTORY. Jenny is a graduate of Kartemquin’s Diverse Voices In Docs program, a TFI Network alum, the winner of the Paley DocPitch Competition 2018 and a fellow of 2020-2021 Women at Sundance | Adobe Fellowship.