Jennifer Crystal Chien

Jennifer is a documentary filmmaker with a focus on personal storytelling from underrepresented communities. She has produced and directed several documentaries focused on stories from the Chinese, Guyana, Polish, and Turkish immigrant communities, including Waiting for Bekir, Advayam, 3JahLove7, and one little bird. Her films have screened at film festivals nationally, including the Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival and Big Apple Film Festival. She is a recipient of the Center for Cultural Innovation’s CALI Catalyst grant recognizing California changemakers in the arts and is a former filmmaker-in-residence with the Center for Asian American Media. In 2017, she co-founded Re-Present Media to advocate for personal storytelling in documentary film and nonfiction media. As a cultural presenter and organizer, she has presented film and dialogue programs as well as directing a mentoring program for emerging filmmakers of color in Oakland. In 2021, with a group of women of color advocates, she organized a campaign to oppose films that violate the consent of sexual violence and abuse survivors and educate the industry on best practices and ethical concerns. The campaign continues with a workshop series in Spring 2022 on how to work with survivors in ethical, respectful, and empowering ways, including with an ongoing process of informed consent.