Zijian Mu is a documentary filmmaker based in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

He is a Qiang minority and a native of Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, China. His first documentary, One Child, explores the lives of the parents who lost their only children in the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake in China. The film was shortlisted for the 87th Academy Awards® (Documentary Short Subject) and has won the 2014 Student Academy Awards and the 2013 Sidney Gross Memorial Prize for Investigative Journalism.

Mu has also contributed work for The Economist, Vice, and CNN. In 2013 he co-produced a short film, "Free Advice Girl," and the film was selected as a finalist for the 2013 Hot Docs International Documentary Challenge and screened at the festival. He holds an M.A. in News and Documentary from New York University.

Last Updated: February 5, 2015

Video

05.15.13

The Reborn of Beichuan

Zijian Mu
The Sichuan earthquake that struck this mountainous region on May 12, 2008 killed an estimated 90,000 people, including thousands of children. For many families in China, losing one child means losing an only child. The Reborn of Beichuan follows...