Draft:Yaohua LI

Early work: Wolf (2019)

LI's debut credit was as co-producer on the drama Wolf (Chinese: 狼), written and directed by Han Tao. The film is adapted from the true story of contemporary Chinese poet Wo Fu (Zhang Hui) and his death by starvation in the mountains. The cast includes Zhang Chunhua, Cui Nan, Han Sanming, and Li Jiaxin. Wolf was released in Chinese mainland cinemas on 27 December 2019 with a runtime of 90 minutes.

The film won the Best Experimental Feature (Drama) at the 49th Houston International Film Festival (2016).^[1][2] In 2018, the film won the Jury Prize in the Golden Butterfly Award (Chinese Film Honour) section at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.^[3]

Being Mortal (2020)

LI co-produced the family drama Being Mortal (Chinese: 来处是归途; lit. 'The Way Back Is Home', also known as You Yi Xia), directed by Liu Ze. The film is adapted from a novella by Shanxi writer Li Yanrong and follows Xia Tian, a performer with a regional Jin Opera troupe, who accompanies her father living with Alzheimer's disease. Being Mortal screened at both the 3rd (2019) and 4th (2020) Pingyao International Film Festival.^[4] It went on to win the Best Drama Feature at the 12th New York Independent Film Festival and Best Supporting Actress at the 13th Jaipur International Film Festival (India), and received entries in the 44th São Paulo International Film Festival and the 38th Paris International Film Festival. The film received a domestic theatrical release on 14 January 2022.^[5]

Floating Clouds Obscure the Sun (2024)

LI co-produced the drama Floating Clouds Obscure the Sun (Chinese: 彷徨的女人; pinyin: Pǎnghuáng de Nǚrén), directed by Shen Tao. The film portrays Tian Zhen, a middle-aged housewife in a southern mountain village who, after fulfilling her conventional responsibilities, attempts to discover herself but finds herself increasingly adrift. The film runs 88 minutes.^[6]

The film world-premiered at the 8th Pingyao International Film Festival in September 2024, winning the NETPAC Award for Best First Film and the Crouching Tigers Most Popular Film award, and receiving a nomination for the Feimu Honours Best Film prize.^[7][8][9] In 2025, the film screened at the 15th Beijing International Film Festival in the Emerging Futures section, winning Best Film and Best Actress (lead actress: Xiang Shizhen).^[10][11]

Beyond the Que and Hua (in production)

LI serves as sole Producer on Beyond the Que and Hua (Chinese: 鹊华秋色), written and directed by Han Tao. The film stars Li Erzhen, Han Sanming, and Gao Wenhan, and follows three couples of different ages whose love stories unfold around Queshan and Huabuzhu Mountain in Jinan. The film is registered with China's National Film Administration (filing number: 影剧备字〔2025〕第329号) and is currently in production.^[12]

Floating Clouds Obscure the Sun (2024)

Being Mortal (2020)

Wolf (2016–2018)