Kaiwen Li
Directing
Biography
Kaiwen Li is a cinephile, an alum of Rhode Island School of Design, and an award-winning commercial and documentary director. He has worked extensively with VICE and DISCOVERY, creating numerous documentaries that have shaped Asia’s youth culture. He has directed commercials for top international brands including Airbnb, Beats by Dr. Dre, Intel, P&G, Burger King, and Burberry. He has also created music videos for China’s avant-garde artists such as J-Fever, Howie Lee and Snapline. His latest documentary series "China's Ultimate Caves" won the Telly Award for Best Documentary Series in 2024. Kaiwen is currently a director at Homework Productions, living between Shanghai and Los Angeles.
Known For
After being suddenly struck with amnesia, an old man is brought to a dilapidated house and ordered to harvest corn by a man who claims to be his son.
I Just Want to Be Wanted
A gripping documentary about the preparations that led up to the 2021 King Pro League tournament finals, the most watched event in gaming history.
Born to Win: the King Pro League Saga
A filmmaker and rapper duo revive Michel Gondry’s “Be Kind Rewind” protocols - a set of filmmaking “rules” with which groups of strangers can conceive, shoot, and screen a film in just two and a half hours. Against the grim backdrop of the stringent Shanghai lockdown, the event soon turns into a sanctuary for individuals to forge collective dreams.
A Pat On The Head Causes A Dream
Containing never-before-seen footage spanning 20 years, this monumental documentary tells the definitive story of the rise and fall of Chinese freestyle battle rap.
Story of Iron Mic
J Fever, China’s greatest “rap poet”, reinvents the origin myth of fire, in an exquisite performance with Shanghai Philharmonic in Shanghai Concert Hall, featuring composer Soulspeak and Yehaiyahan.