Biography

Layla Zhuqing Ji, born and raised in Shenyang, China. She first came to the U.S. alone when she was 18 years old to pursue a double major in Business Management and Radio/TV/Film Production at Rowan University (Glassboro, NJ). She finished her double major within four years and graduated with honors.

She was accepted into top film schools in the U.S with scholarships. In order to become a film director who understands the whole picture of the film industry, she joined the Creative Producing Program at the Columbia University MFA Film Program in 2011 and graduated in 2014.

As a trilingual international filmmaker (Mandarin, English and Korean), Layla's films have been awarded by numerous film festivals around the world.

In 2015, Layla's feature film script received the "Best Young Director's Project Award" from China Film Foundation Wutianming Film Fund. She was invited to Venice Days at the 72nd Venice Film Festival. In 2016, another feature film script won the "Best Commercial Value Project" and the "Motion Picture Association of America" Awards at the Beijing International Film Festival.

Layla's first feature film Victim(s) was produced in Malaysia in 2018. The film won the "Silver Mulberry Award" at the Udine Far East Film Festival, and the "Audience Award" at the Nara International Film Festival. It was in competition at several film festivals such as First International Film Festival and New York Asian Film Festival, etc. It was also officially selected for many festivals such as the Golden Rooster International Film Festival (China), San Diego International Film Festival, Aichi International Women's Film Festival, and Glasgow International Film Festival, etc.

In 2021, Layla directed the official promotion short film for the Golden Rooster Award. Golden Rooster is the most prominent film award in China and it was its 40th anniversary that year.

In 2022, Layla directed and co-wrote feature film All These Years in China, the film was released theatrically in 2023 during a competitive window, Labor's Day holiday and out-performed many local and international commercial films. The total box office was over 300 million RMB with over 7.3 million tickets sold in Mainland China. It was reported that the box office return was over ten times of the production budget.

Layla's next feature film, Running in the Rain (a remake of the acclaimed Korean classic Marathon), is set for release on May 1, 2026. With a production budget exceeding 20 million USD (excluding distribution), it stands as one of the major film releases of the year. The film stars China's current top box office actors and has been generating significant industry and audience buzz well ahead of its premiere.

As one of China's fastest-rising new directors, Layla has made a dramatic leap in production scale while maintaining her hallmark of cinematic excellence. Backed by professional film training and a distinctive storytelling voice, she continues to deliver films of exceptional quality that resonate deeply with audiences.

Layla travels between Los Angeles and Mainland China. She is particularly drawn to topics that are socially relevant. She wants to share her voice through filmmaking and delivers positive messages to the world.
- IMDb mini biography by: Coastline Pictures