Maasai Mara, Kenya (Photo by Wang Min)
An adventurous filmmaker with a deep curiosity about humanity, Helena is a film director and producer whose journey has taken her across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. She is known for telling thoughtful and heartfelt stories with a poetic touch.
Her directing work includes "When Chinese Meet Zambians", which has reached 2.9 million views on YouTube and was featured on PBS SoCal’s "Global Mosaic". Her documentary feature, "The East Dragon", received 10 international film awards in 2026, including Best Documentary at the Asian Independent Film Festival, along with honors from Impact DOCS Awards, IndieFest Film Awards, and Accolade Global Film Competition.
Helena’s recent work spans documentaries, branded content, and narrative film. In 2026, she created 200+ social ads videos for fashion brand Azazie and was commissioned by Jang Mu Won Hapkido Association to create promotional films. In 2025, she directed two documentaries about Native American artists for Art of Mastery. Her film concept exploring smartphone addiction was selected by Buffalo 8 / BondIt Media.
Her documentary "Mending the Sacred Hoop" was screened in part at the Laemmle Royal Theatre in Los Angeles in July 2026.
Before moving into filmmaking in Los Angeles, Helena spent years with China Global Television Network, where she directed over 20 documentaries across China and abroad, and produced the acclaimed documentary series "Faces of Africa". The series featured 200+ episodes across 30 countries, received recognition from international organizations, including UNESCO, and won a Telly Award in 2018.
In 2021, Helena began a new adventure by attending film school in Los Angeles. She wrote and directed her first psychological short, "The Counseling", a finalist at the Independent Shorts Awards.
Born in a small town in China, Helena grew up as a tomboy, swimming in rivers, climbing trees, and had an instinctive desire to stand up for what she believed was right. Studying English literature at university and watching Hollywood films opened up a whole new world to her.
That same curiosity continues to shape her work today. For Helena, film is more than a profession. It is her best companion in an ongoing adventure to understand the world.
Helena is affiliated with the Alliance of Women Directors.