ZhiMin Hu
http://zhiminhu.com
ZhiMin Hu is a Chinese Canadian independent filmmaker based in Toronto, known for creating powerful, emotionally resonant narratives that explore healing, human complexity, and transformation. A graduate of the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University and an alumna of the Women in the Director’s Chair (WIDC) program, ZhiMin is also a member of the Alliance of Women Directors. Her work bridges poetic realism with psychological insight, often focusing on identity, generational trauma, and social dynamics.
ZhiMin has written, directed, produced, and edited eight short films and one feature-length documentary spanning fiction, documentary, and experimental genres. With over a decade of experience as an editor for narrative films, TV shows, and documentaries, she brings a deep understanding of pacing, emotional rhythm, and visual storytelling to her own work as a director.
Her films have screened at festivals including those qualifying for the Canadian Screen Awards, BAFTAs, and the Academy Awards. In 2019, her feature documentary Ketchup & Soya Sauce—nominated for Best Canadian Feature and Best Director at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and later broadcast on CBC—examines the complexities of mixed relationships between first-generation Chinese immigrants and Canadians, set against Canada’s evolving history of interracial relations.
ZhiMin’s short film The Teacup has won multiple international awards, including the Golden Sheaf Award at the 77th Yorkton Film Festival, Best Directing at the WIFT Showcase, Best International Short at Rock the Shorts Film Festival in Los Angeles, the Silver Remi at the 57th WorldFest-Houston Film Festival, and Best Canadian Short at the Toronto Chinese Film Festival.
Driven by a passion for storytelling that is both intimate and socially conscious, ZhiMin’s work invites audiences into emotionally layered, often underrepresented experiences. Whether exploring cultural displacement or the invisible burdens carried within families, she brings a cinematic voice that is sensitive, honest, and transformative. Through each project, she aims to illuminate hidden histories, provoke reflection, and foster healing.
