Amanda (Hua-Yi) Hsiao is a Taiwanese filmmaker, prop maker, and illustrator studying at Performance Design and Practice at Central Saint Martins (UAL). Her practice exists at the intersection of character-driven storytelling and cinematic world-building. Her works evoke fascination with the surreal and untainted reality of her personal experience and reinterpretations of stories.

  She leans into heavy production design and handcrafted props to give the worlds she builds in her films a distinct, whimsical texture, exploring the boundaries between memory, environment, and internal state. Her illustrations often serve as mirrors, reflecting her imagination through watercolour and pencil drawing. Her illustration style features melancholy characters that bridge the dialogue between her films and stories she creates.

  By weaving these mediums together, she establishes a continuous process throughout her practice. Her illustrations give birth to characters, her prop-making skills embody them in the physical world, and her filmmaking brings their stories to life. Ultimately, this multidisciplinary approach transforms her personal explorations of identity into hauntingly beautiful cinematic landscapes.