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Spark & Riot welcomes Lu Xiao Wei
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Spark & Riot announce that filmmaker Lu Xiao Wei has joined their roster of directorial talent.
Spark & Riot announce that filmmaker Lu Xiao Wei has joined their roster of directorial talent.
Wei's fluid cross-cultural perspective and dynamic camerawork give her films a distinct visual texture and grit, with a compelling point of view. Perfectly at home with other Spark & Riot directors, she balances her global portfolio with a purpose-driven artistic perspective.
Wei grew up in Taiwan, where she trained as a ballerina. Following her departure from dance, Wei sought another artistic medium where she could bring emotions to life through form, and in doing so, found directing. Her early influences from Taiwanese and Hong Kong New Wave cinema led Wei to adopt a kinetic, genre-fluent approach to storytelling, with a smooth integration of unexpected lens angles, resolving that the most powerful shot is the one that feels truest. Wei later earned her MFA from Goldsmiths University in London, where she made films that have screened at film festivals across the US, Europe, and Asia, including the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, Aesthetica, London Short Film Festival, Berlin Fashion Film Festival, and others.
Her personal projects and commercial work are in conversation with one another; as a director, Wei navigates the tension between documentary truth and bold cinematic warmth with effortless cool and a kinetic pulse. She has directed many commercial spots for brands like Nike, Instagram, Bumble, Lego, Samsung, P&G, Depop, Estée Lauder, Audible, and eBay, as well as collaborative spots for Tommy Hilfiger x Formula 1 and Johnnie Walker’s Lunar New Year film. She directed the documentary BR X: FINAL for Boiler Room, set in Taipei’s underground club scene, and the documentary short The Filial Daughter, an intimate look at the professional mourners of Taiwan.
“I'm drawn to the intersection of cultural identity, music, and subculture,” explains Wei. She elaborates on joining Spark & Riot, “They have a genuine mission beyond just making work. When I met the team in New York, what struck me was the thoughtfulness of how they operate. They’re not just representing directors; they’re building something. That alignment matters to me. I want to grow my career in the US with partners who are invested in the same things I am.
Ana de Diego, founder of Spark & Riot, adds, “The commercial landscape is actively demanding what Lu naturally brings to the table by virtue of being who she is, everything she touches has a rawness that cuts right through the modern digital noise. Her films feel inherently contemporary and culturally relevant in a way that feels impossible to manufacture. We’re excited to have her with us at Spark & Riot.”
