Rising Stars: Meet Vince Li of New York/LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vince Li

Hi Vince, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I came to the U.S. for college from China when I was 18. My first step was Syracuse, a snowy, isolated world in upstate New York. Initially, I didn’t have a vision of how my future would unfold. The first year was a pre-college program, and I didn’t do much besides improve my English, so I just indulged myself in this lack of direction and confusion.

However, one day, I was driving around aimlessly. My friend Luke, who sat on my co-pilot, rolled down the window and filmed random footage with his iPhone. I was confused because there were no damn things to shoot. Whereas he just did this day after day. I was puzzled. One day, back to the dorm, he showed me “the film” he had been making. It was so impressive; the meaningless footage from our daily drives, when put together, was so poetic. At that moment, an idea sparked in my mind: This is some goddamn thing I want to do.

Through friends’ introduction, I met a girl in film program, K and she became my DP. I became a screenwriter and director and kind of the producer. Luke is the editor and he helps me to produce as well. We used natural light, and our shooting location was just around the campus. I shamelessly asked my classmates and even my teachers to be actors in my film. Many are shy and stressful; sometimes, they look directly into the camera. However, eventually, I finished it, and in the final hours before the deadline, I submitted my application to the Syracuse University Film program. A week later, I received a confirmation from the chair, and that’s how I began my studies in Film..

The first year was a struggle; many classmates already had related experiences, but I knew nothing. So, I had to work hard. It was a great program. However, I felt that it focused too much on experimental cinema. I attempted to transfer in my sophomore year because of the connection to the film industry and the immersion in the cinematic atmosphere in a metropolis. Surprisingly, The School of Visual Arts (SVA) accepted me with a scholarship. I hesitated strongly because I had beautiful memories and close friends in Syracuse. It was hard for me to say goodbye. But still, under the falling snow, I took on the train to New York City.

The subway in New York is confusing, so I often get late to classes. Luckily, I have another school off campus — the movie theaters in the city. When I stepped in, I watched all kinds of films: classic art-house, modern indies, and blockbusters. Combined with my previous experiences at Syracuse University, I realized how much this moving image can achieve limitlessly.

In 2022, I made my first short film at SVA with my classmates, “At the Sea,” luckily traveled to some American local festivals such as the Coney Island Film Festival and the Silicon Beach Film Festival. In China, it was selected for a Special Screening at the Jia Village Short Film Festival held by Zhangke Jia. After that, I felt more confident preparing my thesis film, which is a family drama between a lonely but strong-willed western cowboy woman and her son’s girlfriend, a female Chinese acupuncturist. Now I am working on the festival submission and waiting for its world premiere.

After graduation, I was grateful to intern at Atlantic Pictures and had Buzz Koenig as my mentor. I worked on set including “A Real Pain” directed by Jesse Eisenberg and helped with pre-production of “In the Hands of Dante” directed by Julian Schnabel. These experiences were invaluable, and they have made me more determined to pursue filmmaking as my future career.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It seems I have never walked on a smooth road. Now I get clear that goal to be a writer-director and I have been working on my first feature film for some time, and I have indeed felt the struggles because the structure of a feature film is different from that of short films. Additionally, I am exploring my artistic vision and style. I am gradually discovering the topics I am drawn to, particularly human relationships and intimacy. However, I am still exploring and developing my visual signature style and approach to working with actors.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think I will make several more short films to improve my skills. More importantly, I can write scripts, serve as a script doctor, produce, and work as a 1st AD on set. Please reach out to me for collaborations!

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
As a filmmaker, persistence matters most. You have to hold on tight. More specifically, for a writer-director, it’s significant to establish your vision. How do you view the world, and how do you incorporate that perspective into your filmmaking?

For collaborations, I believe and value different opinions under the same vision, and chemistry is the key.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vince_li7/?hl=en