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Having been photographed by the world’s top fashion houses, Yi Zhou learned early that elegance could be a tool—one that opens doors to art, technology, and power. Born in Shanghai in 1987, the Los Angeles–based model, artist, and filmmaker began as a model and muse for luxury brands, then turned the lens on herself and others, evolving into one of the most forward-thinking filmmakers of her generation. Today, she’s not just directing films—she’s building worlds.
The Model Shaping Her Own Path
Zhou’s trajectory takes her across surprising terrain: from Parisian runways to AI-powered movie studios and red carpets to the Academy Awards eligibility list. Her sleek, soulful, and intellectual aesthetic merges the sensual poise of a model with the precision of a philosopher. “Modeling taught me posture,” Zhou says. “Directing taught me presence. And AI taught me how to expand presence into infinity.”
The Disney Revelation
Her latest documentary, Chronicles of Disney, dives behind the magic of Hollywood’s most beloved and storied studio. The film reveals the artisans—Oscar winners such as Mark Bridges and Bill Corso, Oscar nominees such as Donald Mowat, and Camille Friend—who have shaped the Disney and Marvel universes from the inside out. At its emotional core is Jeremy Renner, whose near-fatal accident and extraordinary recovery becomes a modern fable of rebirth. The film’s original ballad—”Rising Sun at the Edge of the Ocean,” co-written and performed by Zhou and Renner—is drawing industry attention, channeling love and resilience.
The Future Is Stardust
Stardust Future: Stars and Scars, part 2 of the Masters of Cinema series and a sister project to Chronicles of Disney, continues her exploration of filmmaking as one of the first full-length films ever created entirely with artificial intelligence. An 82-minute fusion of 2D and 3D AI animation, it blends cosmic scale with emotional intimacy, featuring narration by Zhou and Renner as voices beyond time in cinema vérité. The film journeys from the Big Bang to 2080, reflecting on creation, extinction, and the rebirth of consciousness. Stardust Future channels proceeds to the Rennervation Foundation and MPTF.
First Timers: Reinventing Hollywood’s Origin Stories
Zhou’s Apple TV docuseries, First Timers, extends her mission to democratize creativity. Each episode pairs an emerging artist with a legendary mentor, from Oscar-winning director Cameron Crowe to street art icon Shepard Fairey, exploring the emotional alchemy of creative beginnings. The series functions as both mentorship and mirror: a cinematic laboratory where new voices rise alongside established masters, echoing Zhou’s belief that “every first time deserves a stage.” With First Timers, Zhou doesn’t just direct; she also supports emerging talent, giving newcomers the screen time that legacy once reserved for the few.
Into the Sun: A New Creative Fire in Hollywood
Through her companies, Into the Sun Entertainment and Into the Sun Films in Rome, Zhou has created a vertically integrated creative infrastructure spanning film, music, AI, and fashion. Female-led, AAPI-founded, and globally anchored in Los Angeles, Rome, and Hong Kong, the company fuses art and technology to tell stories of transformation.
It’s home not only to Chronicles of Disney, Stardust Future, and First Timers, but also to Into the Sun Sounds, a music label blending soundtracks, experimental albums, and Zhou’s own AI-generated releases.
A New Kind of Icon in Hollywood
In an era obsessed with algorithms and aesthetics, Zhou stands apart as both subject and shaper, the artist who can stand before the camera and command what happens behind it. Her films explore the relationship between humanity and technology; her presence suggests strength rooted in softness. She explores the realms of femininity and futurism, modern moralities, and forward-thinking approach to her work, body, and style.
And as she steps once again into the spotlight, Zhou isn’t chasing attention. She’s shaping her own version of what it means to shine in Hollywood.
