Kelly Yu is a Swedish-born, New Orleans raised, Chinese-American writer and director. Her work is driven by a deep fascination with finding humanity in the absurd, as well as exploring complex familial relationships and cultural identity often through an "East-meets-West" lens. Her debut short film PLUM TOWN won the Grand Jury Award at Boston Independent Film Festival, the NFFTY New Talent Award for 'Best Director Under 25," and premiered online on the renowned platform Short of the Week. Her second short film, ENDLING, was executive produced by Emmy award winning actress Lena Waithe and premiered at Tribeca Film Festival to critical acclaim, subsequently qualifying it for the 2025 Academy Awards.
Kelly holds a B.F.A from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and is based in LA currently developing her debut feature film.