Rain Li left China for England as a young teenager to go pursue her dreams. After only a few months of language training and multiple part-time jobs, she discovered her passion for lighting. Her 2-year training as an electrician on commercials, music videos and feature films, led to her working as a camera assistant, and later to becoming a cinematographer by the time she turned 18.
By age 26, she had shot twelve features, twenty-five short films, numerous popular commercials, music videos and also interesting art and fashion projects. Since early 2005, she has been collaborating with renowned cinematographer/director Christopher Doyle ('In the Mood for Love', 'Hero', 'Rabbit Proof Fence', Lady in the Water etc), on twelve projects to date. She has also collaborated with many internationally renown directors, including Jim Jarmusch, Gus Van Sant. One of her recent films, "Paranoid Park" by Gus Van Sant, received "Special 60th Anniversary Prize of the International Cannes Film Festival" in 2007.
She was voted one of the '10 Best Cinematographers' of The Year' by Variety in 2007 and received the 'Best Cinematography' award from the Boston Film Critic in 2009. Hollywood Reporter has featured her to be one of the most talented cinematographers in the next generation.
In recent years she has focused on directing. As well as she is developing her director debut feature film, she has directed commercials and art films for various international-renowned luxury fashion brands, including Dries Van Noten, Yohji Yamamoto, Phillip Lim.
She is a unique filmmaker, who has a strong creative vision and has experienced both western and eastern cultures. The core of her work is telling captivating stories that engage audiences with powerful images and atmospheric sounds. Her work has been described as "romanticism vs aggression" and "surrealism vs reality".
It is her desire to bring her unique vision, voice and experiences to world cinema.
