Kelly Yu is a Swedish-born, New Orleans raised, Chinese-American writer and director. An avid world-builder, she is often drawn to stories that exist outside of the box — Fusing genre bending concepts bordering on the absurd or satirical with universal themes that comment on societal, cultural, and human conditions. 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 97th Academy Awards. She is a 2024 Indeed Rising Voices Fellow and a 2025 Disney Television Directing Fellow.
Kelly holds a B.F.A from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and is based in LA currently developing her debut feature film ENDLING, loosely based on the short of the same name.