
Eris Qian is based in New York City and considers herself as a global nomad. Born and raised in China, she has lived and studied in five continents. She leverages her diasporic experience to tell stories about characters who defy the norms in finding their place in the world.
Born to a doctor’s household in China, Eris grew up fascinated by natural history and dreamt of becoming a nature documentarian, which came true when she joined the National Museum of Natural History as a Video Producer after she graduated from college.
Eris then went back to China to explore stories of her roots. During her career as a freelance documentary filmmaker, she focused on the disappearing natural and cultural heritage. She made many successful shorts and TV documentaries in various locations, including Hong Kong, Tibet, Ganzhou, and Shanghai. Every piece of her professional work has more than 100,000 plays on digital platforms. And her television documentary has earned the highest rating in the non-scripted category of weekend primetime on Shenzhen National Satellite Channel.
Eris's debut short film MOTHER TONGUE premiered at CAAMFest, the biggest Asian American film festival in the world, and screened at eleven other prestigious festivals across North American and Asia. She is a Sundance x WIF Financing Strategy Fellow for her feature project PULLING SEEDLINGS, which is also a finalist of the ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship 2021 and the Sloan Production Award.
As a producer, Eris dedicates herself to supporting BIPOC filmmakers and artists from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Her work has entered festivals including Aspen, Palm Springs, and DGA Student Award. She recently associate-produced feature documentary MILES TO GO BEFORE SHE SLEEPS, which was supported by Doha Film Institute and Women Make Movies.
Eris Eris holds MBA/MFA dual degrees from NYU's Stern and Tisch, and a BA from University of Virginia.
Contact Me
Resume
Education
2017 - 2020
MBA/MFA, New York University
2011 - 2013
BA in Media Studies, first-class distinction, University of Virginia
Summer 2012
Semester at Sea, Trans-Atlantic and Mediterranean
Fall 2010
Exchange Program, La Trobe University
2008 - 2010
English, East China Normal University
Awards
2018 - 2020
2017
2012
2012
2010
2009 - 2010
2008 - 2009
Tisch School of the Arts Scholarship, NYU Grad Film Department
Story Mining & Co. Sholarship, NYU Stern School of Business
Education Abroad Symposium Prize, University of Virginia
Merit and Alumni Scholarships, Semester at Sea
Department of Education, Employment and Work Relations Scholarship, La Trobe University
Third Class Scholarship, East China Normal University
First Class Scholarship, East China Normal University