about

Xinyan is an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist who tells stories about people often invisible in the sweep of history and progress.

Based in Washington, DC, she has directed, produced, and shot films for BBC News, PBS NOVA, PBS Frontline, PBS American Masters, CNBC, NHK, and Channel News Asia. Her feature debut, Made in Ethiopia won a Special Jury Mention at Tribeca Festival in 2024 and screened at more than 50 film festivals worldwide. Her PBS Frontline film, Maui’s Deadly Firestorm, won an Emmy Award and a Scripps Howard Journalism Award, and her latest PBS American Masters short, Cindy Tran: From Here to Here, premiered at DOCNYC 2025.

Xinyan began her career as a BBC News producer in Beijing. She grew up in a steel factory town transformed by rapid development, witnessing both the opportunities and costs it brought to ordinary lives. She now makes films that explore how marginalized communities navigate social, economic, and environmental change across cultures and continents.

ABOUT

SAMPLE REEL

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FILMS

MADE IN ETHIOPIA

(91 minutes, 2024)

Co-director / Co-producer

Supported by Ford Foundation, Firelight Media, the Danish Film Institute, IDA, InMaat Foundation and SFFLIM

FILMS

PBS FRONTLINE

MAUI'S DEADLY FIRESTORM

(53 minutes, 2024)

Director / Producer / Writer

Emmy Award

Winner, Outstanding Climate, Environment and Weather Coverage

Scripps Howard Journalism Award

Winner, Excellence in Local Video Storytelling

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PBS AMERICAN MASTERS

cindy tran: from here to here

(16 minutes, 2025)

Director/Producer

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INSIDE CHINA'S TECH BOOM

(54 minutes, 2023)

Co-director / Co-producer

PBS NOVA

NHK

THE DAY I GAVE UP MY DAUGHTER

(49 minutes, 2023)

DoP, United States

2024 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards — Human Concerns Category SILVER

BBC WORLD

CANNABIS: AMERICA'S GREEN GOLD RUSH

(26 minutes, 2023)

Director, DoP, Editor

SCMP FILM

FIGHTING FENTANYL

(15 minutes, 2019)

Director, DoP, Editor

Gold Prize for Best Use of Online Video at WAN-IFRA Asian Digital Media Awards

RECOGNITION

Cindy Tran: From Here to Here (PBS American Masters)

Best Short Documentary - Disorient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon

Maui's Deadly Firestorm (PBS Frontline)

Emmy Award (2025) – Outstanding Climate, Environment, and Weather Coverage
Scripps Howard Award (2025) – Excellence in Local Video Storytelling

Made in Ethiopia (Feature Documentary)

Tribeca Film Festival (2024) – Special Jury Mention for Documentary Feature
Warsaw International Film Festival (2024) – Best Documentary, Special Jury Mention
Planet in Focus International Film Festival (2024) – Best International Feature
Austin Asian American Film Festival (2025) – Documentary Jury Award & Audience Award
Moritz Feed Dog Film Festival (2025) – Best Film
SIMA Awards (2025) – Finalist
Cinema for Peace Awards (2025) – Nominee, International Green Film Award
Rory Peck Awards (2025) – Sony Impact Award for Long-Form Current Affairs