Menudo: Forver Young
2022
2022
Four-part documentary series chronicling the untold story behind the rise and fall of Menudo, the most iconic Latin American boy band in history.
For HBO Max
Broadcast in 2022
Role: Co-executive producer, Co-director
For HBO Max
Broadcast in 2022
Role: Co-executive producer, Co-director
Spicy Village
2021
2021
Spicy Village is a New York Chinatown institution, a hole-in-the-wall spot renowned for its hand-pulled noodles, meat-filled buns, and famous “big tray chicken.” The restaurant’s owner, Wendy Li, runs the cult favorite with her husband and two children; they’ve earned accolades from the likes of celebrity chefs, the Village Voice, and the Michelin Guide. Before the pandemic, the line went out the door virtually every night.
For Chinatown restaurants like Wendy’s, the impact of Covid-19 will soon become too much to bear. Business took a spike in February 2020—and not just because of a lack of foot traffic. Racism and xenophobia have threatened these places’ survival, too, with anti-Asian sentiment on the rise. Spicy Village’s future is under threat. They desperately need a show of support from New York’s noodle-lovers.
This short film from cross-cultural documentary collective HiLo offers a glimpse behind the scenes at Spicy Village, on one of the few days they take time off: Chinese New Year. A time for celebration and togetherness with family, hindered by the pandemic for the second year running.
Directed by Jia Li
Camera by Jia Li, Yiwei Chen, Stevie Borrello, Kristofer Rios
Produced by Joshua Frank, Kristofer Rios
Edited by Jia Li, Yiwei Chen
Sound mix by Kristofer Rios
Special thanks Carver Audain
A HiLo Production
hi-lo.tv
For Chinatown restaurants like Wendy’s, the impact of Covid-19 will soon become too much to bear. Business took a spike in February 2020—and not just because of a lack of foot traffic. Racism and xenophobia have threatened these places’ survival, too, with anti-Asian sentiment on the rise. Spicy Village’s future is under threat. They desperately need a show of support from New York’s noodle-lovers.
This short film from cross-cultural documentary collective HiLo offers a glimpse behind the scenes at Spicy Village, on one of the few days they take time off: Chinese New Year. A time for celebration and togetherness with family, hindered by the pandemic for the second year running.
Directed by Jia Li
Camera by Jia Li, Yiwei Chen, Stevie Borrello, Kristofer Rios
Produced by Joshua Frank, Kristofer Rios
Edited by Jia Li, Yiwei Chen
Sound mix by Kristofer Rios
Special thanks Carver Audain
A HiLo Production
hi-lo.tv
Asylum
2021
2021
Asylum follows the journeys of Angel Ramos and Elmer Gomez, two fathers who fled Honduras in search of safety for their children, as they navigate the complex U.S. immigration system. The documentary was an official selection in the St. Louis International Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, and American Documentary and Animation Film Festival.
For ABC News Documentaries
Broadcasted on Hulu in 2021
Role: Producer, Camera
For ABC News Documentaries
Broadcasted on Hulu in 2021
Role: Producer, Camera
Havana Skate Days
2017
2017
A feature-length documentary about Cuba and its current struggles told through the story of Havana’s nascent skate scene.
The film follows Yojany Perez, a young, talented skateboarder trying to grow extreme sports in Cuba, and his tight knit crew of skateboarders. The generational rift between Cuba’s millennials and older generations is exposed as the skaters struggle to carve a space for themselves in Cuba’s future and cope with the loss of their friends to the temptations of the outside world.
For Univision and Fusion
Broadcasted in 2017
Role: Writer, Producer, Co-Director
The film follows Yojany Perez, a young, talented skateboarder trying to grow extreme sports in Cuba, and his tight knit crew of skateboarders. The generational rift between Cuba’s millennials and older generations is exposed as the skaters struggle to carve a space for themselves in Cuba’s future and cope with the loss of their friends to the temptations of the outside world.
For Univision and Fusion
Broadcasted in 2017
Role: Writer, Producer, Co-Director
Noodle School
2018
2018
A short documentary film about a vocational noodle school in Lanzhou, China produced for Topic. The documentary won a 2019 American Society of Magazine Editors Award in the category of Service and Lifestyle.
For Topic
Streamed in 2018
Role: Producer, Sound Mix
For Topic
Streamed in 2018
Role: Producer, Sound Mix