Xue Xiaolu is a Chinese film director and screenwriter. She is considered one of the top Chinese female directors. Her first major feature was Ocean Heaven (2010), which stars Jet Li, followed by Finding Mr. Right (2013) starring Tang Wei and Wu Xiubo. Her top-grossing film is Finding Mr. Right 2. Her films have won multiple awards in China and abroad, including the Outstanding New Screen Writer award at the fifteenth HuaBiao Awards (for Ocean Heaven), and Best Director at the 2013 China Image Film Festival (for Finding Mr. Right). Xue is also a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy, and has been a volunteer with Beijing Stars and Rain, a non-governmental educational organization for autistic children, for 14 years.
Early life and education In 1989, Xue enrolled in the Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy with a major in Film Studies. After receiving her bachelor's degree in 1993, Xue continued her studies in Screen Writing and Theory majors, completing her master's degree in 1996.
Career After her graduation in 1996, Xue joined CCTV-10 (the science and education channel of the CCTV Network) as a producer. During her producing career, Xue participated in several well-known Chinese TV series and films as a screenwriter. In 2001, Xue produced the script of the high rating TV series Don't Respond to Strangers - Domestic Violence with co-writer Jiang Wei. In 2002, Xue joined the production of the Film Together, directed by the leading figure of fifth generation of Chinese cinema - Chen Kaige; together they created the narrative of this film. In 2005, the film had been nominated "Best Picture" by the Golden Rooster Awards in 2002.
In 2010, Xue introduced her directorial debut with Ocean Heaven. This film follows a story of a simple and unadorned father taking care of his son who is on the autism spectrum. The international Kungfu movie star, Jet Li, plays the diligent father in this film. The film surrounds the rarely discussed subject of the disadvantaged group, therefore attracting significant attention from different areas of Chinese society.
Three years later, Xue wrote and directed her second film Finding Mr. Right, a romantic comedy starring Wu Xiubo and Tang Wei. The film tells of a love story taking place in Seattle between a Chinese immigrated taxi driver and a pregnant women who had recently moved into an illegal maternity center. Though it is a humorous story of romance, it deals with the more serious issues of Anchor babies and affairs in modern society. Upon its release, the film received favorable reviews and grossed approximately US$85 million in China. Due to its great success, Xu instantly became one of the most successful female directors in China.
In 2016, the sequel Finding Mr. Right 2 was released, featuring the same cast but a telling a different love story. This sequel broke the opening day box office record for romantic films in China, acquiring nearly US$15 million on its first day, and achieved nearly US$113 million box office in total. The success Xue's third directing film, Finding Mr. Right 2 lead her to become the female director with the highest-grossing film in 2016.
In 2017, Xue was invited to be a guest reviewer in LACFF (Los Angeles Chinese Film Festival).
Filmography
YearEnglish titleChinese titleRole1995He Ai Yi Qi Zhang Da和爱一起长大Writer2001Don't Respond to Strangers - Domestic Violence (TV series)不要和陌生人说话Writer2002Together和你在一起Writer (With Chen Kaige)2003Duo Zi夺子Writer2003Tian Tang Niao (TV series)天堂鸟Writer2005Autumnal Rain秋雨Writer2010Ocean Heaven海洋天堂Director/Writer2013Finding Mr. Right北京遇上西雅图Director/Writer2015Keep the Marriage as Jade守婚如玉Writer2016Finding Mr. Right 2北京遇上西雅图：不二情书Director/Writer2019My People, My Country我和我的祖国 2021Embrace Again穿过寒冬拥抱你Director
Awards China Image Film Festival: Best Screenwriter - Xue Xiaolu China Image Film Festival: Best Director - Xue Xiaolu
References
External links Xue Xiaolu's Official Weibo
Xue Xiaolu on Douban