Jenny Lu

Lu was born in Pingtung City, Taiwan.^[1] She has a younger brother, Luming Lu, who later became a film score composer and wrote music for her debut film.^[2][3] Inspired by Darren Aronofsky, she developed a passion for films when she was young and often dreamt of working on production sets.^[1] Lu later attended the art class at National Pingtung Senior High School and went on an exchange to the United States during her second year of high school.^[4] After the experience, she was determined to study abroad and enrolled at Nottingham Trent University to pursue a degree in contemporary arts after completing secondary school.^[1][4] She won a Beck's Futures prize with a short film she produced during university years.^[1] Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Arts,^[5] Lu began working as an assistant director in the United Kingdom in 2004 and produced several short films since 2009.^[6][7] She also acquired a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in arts at University of the Arts London in 2008.^[5][8] In 2014, she directed and wrote short film The Man Who Walked on the Moon, which won a special award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.^[9]

In 2016, Lu directed and wrote her first feature film, The Receptionist, which was co-produced in Taiwan and the United Kingdom.^[10] The film tells the story of a Taiwanese immigrant and arts school graduate who, desperate to make a living, is forced to take up a job as a receptionist for a brothel.^[11] The film received positive acclaim,^[12] and Lu won the Emerging Director Award at the 40th Asian American International Film Festival.^[13] Lu was invited to co-host the 5th Pingtung Film Festival in 2020.^[14] The following year, she returned to Taiwan and worked as an assistant professor at the Department of Film and Television of I-Shou University.^[9][15]