I'm Christine Chen, film editor based in Los Angeles. I piece fragments into stories that make you feel. Always chasing rhythm, truth and the quiet moments on screen. Tender at times, bold at others.

My name is Tianxiao, but you can call me Christine. I was born in Shenzhen, China, and I edit films in Los Angeles.

For me, cinema is a mirror. It shows us things we might not see, or might not want to see, in ourselves.

It started with bootleg VHS tapes. Like a lot of kids of my generation, that's how I met the movies, in idle hours, in front of a small screen, without knowing I was falling for anything.

Growing up wasn't easy, and for a long time it hid the creative part of me. Later I learned that making things could heal. When life gets hard, I still imagine a camera filming me, and it helps me find my balance.

My parents wanted me to study Bioengineering. I wanted film. So I did both, at the same time. They didn't support film at first, but they changed their minds once they saw the work.

Biology taught me how people work. Film taught me how they feel. Together, they gave me a way to understand characters from the inside out, and I still use both every time I sit down to cut.

At 21 I directed my 30-minute thesis film. Working closely with actors, I learned that respect and patience matter more than anything. Then it screened on the big screen at Broadway Cinematheque in China.

Talking with that first audience, I realized how little room there was for honest stories about women. That moment shaped everything after it. I want to tell those stories, and editing is where I found my voice.

I came to Los Angeles as an Editing Fellow at the American Film Institute Conservatory. I cut everything I could: drama, comedy, mockumentary. Each one taught me a different rhythm.

My thesis film followed a single mother going to extreme lengths to put Thanksgiving dinner on the table. It's about motherhood, poverty, and freedom. It's the kind of story I want to keep telling.

Editing Fellow, AFI Conservatory. Debut film screened at Broadway Cinematheque, China. Featured in Shoutout LA (2023) and CanvasRebel Magazine (2024).

[Festival selections, awards and notable clients go here.]