Diana Hsuan Chao

Diana Hsuan Chao is a Taiwanese writer-director with an MFA in Film Production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. With a background in English literature and filmmaking across Taiwan and the U.S., (...) her works blend psychological insight with cross-cultural visual storytelling. Her short films have screened internationally: The Restoration (2014) premiered at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, and Big Little Man (2019), supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, had its world premiere at the Oscar-qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival and Taiwan’s Golden Harvest Awards. Her debut feature project Life Derailed is currently in development. It was selected for Talents Tokyo and Produire au Sud Taipei Workshop, receiving development funding from the Next Masters Support Program. In 2024, it was selected for the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion and received a Feature Film Subsidy from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture. Its screenplay also won Third Prize at the Excellent Screenplay Awards. She recently directed Mind Fuck, an episode of the international series Zero Day Attack, which will premiere in August 2025.