21 Under 21: Lisa Ranran Hu Uses the Magic of Film to Put a Spotlight on Under-Discussed Topics
Lisa Ranran Hu is part of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 class of 2018, which spotlights extraordinary young women, girls, and femmes making waves in their industries or passions of choice.
Lisa Ranran Hu knows firsthand about the power of filmmaking.
Last year, she caught the attention of people all over the globe for her student feature Escape, which portrayed what it's like to be young and transgender in China. While in school in Beijng, Lisa directed and worked with several of her classmates on the film, which starred her friend Zhang Yuge as a young trans girl exploring and realizing her gender identity. To prepare for the project, Lisa took notes from the Guangzhou Transgender Center's online discussion site and interviewed trans people.
Escape caused quite a stir, especially considering China's fraught relationship with trans rights and cultural taboos surrounding gender identity. It ultimately helped bring a spotlight on an under-discussed topic, garnering worldwide exposure for the young director and her film. (It even caught the eye of actor Emma Watson, who nominated Lisa to be part of Teen Vogue's "21 under 21" class.) And perhaps most importantly, it affected those in Lisa's community. After the film was released, trans students at Lisa's school reached out to her.
"I feel gratitude that some people changed their minds after watching my film," she tells Teen Vogue. "I think that part of the goal of making that film was to bring more awareness of the minority group to the public."
Lisa is now a sophomore at UCLA, where she is studying psychology with a minor in film. The major has helped expand her scope — by diving into how people's behavior and minds work, Lisa feels she can be a better filmmaker by getting into the heads of film subjects. And, of course, her minor has also opened new doors for her, especially when it comes to film theory and history. She's had the opportunity to learn more about current trends in Hollywood and the American film industry, which is useful because she grew up in Beijing.
And Lisa is continuing to tackle serious subject matter. She’s currently working on a film that deals with themes of mental health and suicidal ideation. Learning more about depression and mental illness in a psychology class fueled her interest in the project, but it was also inspired by the experiences of one of her friends who has been struggling.
"I really want to use this film to change the idea that depression is something that's your fault, because it's not," she says.
The goals for her work go beyond using the platform to showcase matters that still have stigmas attached to them. Lisa also hopes her films show people that female filmmakers and anyone else who faces hurdles in the largely white, male-dominated film industry of Hollywood can create astounding films that have an impact on the world.
Lisa's love for filmmaking was born out something a bit more fantastical than the real-life issues she's been depicting. She remembers being amazed after watching Avatar on the big screen, seeing how a visually stunning world, unachievable in reality, could come to life through film.
"[Film is] a kind of magic that can make everything become possible. It doesn't have limitations on your imagination," she says. "I really want to become a person who can make those dreams come true."
