Lyuwei Chen is an award-winning documentary director and producer who graduated from New York University with a master's degree in News and Documentary. She has worked as a documentarian at TV stations and film production companies in the US and China. Her work focuses on social issues, family dynamics, and personal perspectives. Her documentary films have won awards for Best Documentary Short Films and Best Director at the New York International Film Infest Festival, Cannes International Shorts, the International Manhattan Film Awards, and the IndieX Film Festival. Committed to non-fiction storytelling, she wants to make compelling documentaries to touch people worldwide.

I started playing the piano when I was three and did my undergraduate and first master's degree in music. I never thought I would become a documentary filmmaker. However, when I did music in college, I got an opportunity to be an assistant director for a TV music documentary series which ignited my passion for documentary filmmaking. When I reached out to Bright Sheng, I was thinking of telling his story of being a professional musician during the Cultural Revolution. But I was able to meet his daughter Fay Fay. Bright Sheng and Fay Fay's story deeply resonated with me. Their relationship and dynamics inspired me to create my documentary Duet.

As a documentary filmmaker who has an interdisciplinary background in music, I want to tell intergenerational stories within the context of social, political, and cultural changes. In producing Duet, I want to offer an opportunity to understand both the father and the daughter, including their struggles, desires, aspirations, and toughness. It is not only a portrait of a father and daughter, but it is a collective portrait of generations of Chinese musicians.

I filmed this documentary in the US, France, and China with six cinematographers and did collaborative work with three animators, two composers, two sound designers, two sound mixers, and a colorist.