Please contact zhiminhu.com
logo

About Me

Life is a journey, every day, a step, toward a better self.

IMDB page

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 2014, Sophie’s Letter was selected by Prime Centre and received the Special Mention Award at the TopShorts Film Festival.

In 2016, A Cold Summer Night (28 min) was supported by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and later became part of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) collection.

In 2018, I’m Waiting for Mama won Best Canadian Short at the Regina International Film Festival and Awards (RIFFA).

In 2019, her feature documentary Ketchup & Soya Sauce was broadcast nationally on CBC and was available on CBC GEM for 5 years.

In 2020, the 63-minute version of Ketchup & Soya Sauce was nominated for Best Canadian Feature and Best Director for a Feature Film Award at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival.

In 2024, The Teacup won the Golden Sheaf Award and was nominated for Best of the Festival at the 77th Yorkton Film Festival. It also received the Silver Remi Award at the 57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, Best International Short Award at Rock the Shorts Film Festival in Los Angeles, and Best Canadian Short Award at the Toronto Chinese Film Festival.

In 2025, The Teacup won the Best Director Award at the WIFT Showcase 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.

She currently has several projects in development, including two feature films — Under the Red Umbrella (which received development funding from Telefilm) and Chloe’s Still Here (supported by a scriptwriting grant from the Canada Council for the Arts) — as well as a short fiction film titled Reunion, and a TV documentary series called Made in Canada.