Ling Lee is an award-winning, self-shooting Director and Editor. As a multi-linguist who has lived and worked in Europe, South America, and Asia, she has a particular interest in crossover cultures, transitory existence, and identity.

After being forced to leave a burgeoning career as a contemporary dancer, she moved her attention to photography and experimental film – which led her to study Documentary Directing at the National Film & Television School. As a filmmaker, her work has been broadcast on channels including Al Jazeera, Channel 4, ARTE/ZDF, POV and screened at international festivals including IDFA, TIFF, and Berlinale.

As a Director, her latest film is Surviving Translation (2023); an experiential documentary about the mistranslation of female immigrants and the irreversible consequences it can have on them. Her previous films include Balancing A Dream (Al Jazeera Witness, 2012), Long Live Livi (BBC Scotland, 2020) and The Black Veil (BBC Scotland, 2021) – which was an intimate portrayal of a non-binary person and the challenges they face.

As Editor, she has worked on Edge of Dreaming (IDFA Premiere, 2009, Dir. Amy Hardie), ‘DAU. Degeneration (Berlinale Premiere, 2020, Dir. Ilya Permyakov and Ilya Krzhanovskiy), and The Hermit of Treig (BAFTA Best Single Documentary, 2022, Dir. Lizzie MacKenzie).

In addition to her film work, Ling is Co-Programme Director and Lecturer of Film and Moving Image in the Film & TV postgraduate department at the University of Edinburgh, which specialises in documentary. She is also a Trustee for the Scottish Documentary Institute.

She is currently developing a feature-length, hybrid-documentary about the impermanence of language, cultural phenomena, and the natural world on the Scottish islands.



AWARDS
2022 - The Hermit of Treig (Editor) directed by Lizzie MacKenzie
BAFTA Scotland 2022 - Best Single Documentary

2022 - Long Live Livi (Co-Director, Camera, Editor)
Kendal Mountain Festival 2022 - Best Sport Action Film Prize

2022 - The Black Veil (Director, Camera, Editor)
Image + Nation Queer Short Film Festival (Best Documentary Film Jury Award)

2011 - Miles Apart (Director, Producer, Camera)
One World Media Award (Best Film, Student Category)

2011 - My Favourite Supermarket (Director, Producer, Camera) Portugal CineEco,
Environmental Education Award Ciencia Viva (Best Film)

2011 - Himalayan Sisters (Editor) Underwire Film Festival (Best Editing)

2010 - The Edge of Dreaming (Editor) Trailblazer Edinburgh Film Festival (Best Editing)

2008 - What I Have Left of You (Writer, Director, Producer, Editor)
Scottish Students on Screen (Best Film, Experimental)