About
U-MA STUDIOS
U-Ma Studios is an immersive experiences production company that produces original, cinematic immersive content, focusing on inclusive, emotionally engaging stories. We charter unexplored narratives, especially those of misunderstood and marginalized figures. Utilizing cutting-edge VR technology, our goal is to spark imagination, incite curiosity, and generate empathy.
Our projects have premiered at renowned venues and international film festivals such as Cannes, Tribeca and Busan. We have also collaborated with institutions such as UC Berkeley Arts + Design and celebrated artists who have worked on Broadway, with the SF Opera and SF Ballet.
THE FOUNDER
Los Angeles native Carol Liu is an independent filmmaker, immersive creator and founder of U-Ma Studios. Carol is passionate about using film and immersive media to revisit history and bring to light untold stories. She is an Emerging Media National Member at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA in Film from NYU Tisch. Carol started her VR career as an inaugural fellow of Oculus Launchpad and Google’s pilot Jump Start program. She is currently developing an immersive experiences platform and ecosystem to tell the stories of art and human heritage while leveraging the tools of web3, XR and AI.
CAROL LIU FILMS
Carol has written, directed, and produced original films under Carol Liu Films, including award-winning feature humanitarian documentary Restoring the Light. She is currently developing Goddess of Nanking, winner of the SF FILM Rainin Screenwriting Grant, a war film about the true story of two forgotten heroines.
PROJECTS IN FEATURE FILM, TV AND DOCUMENTARY
Goddess of Nanking (feature drama)
Two women crusade to bring to light the Japanese wartime atrocities committed at the Rape of Nanking, but their heroic efforts come at a great personal cost.
In development.
Selected awards: SF Film Society Rainin Screenwriting Grant
Restoring the Light (feature documentary)
A rural eye doctor helps underserved villagers in rural China regain their sight and restore their lives.
View now on Amazon Prime.
Distributors: Kanopy Films, Cinema Guild.
Selected film festivals and awards:
Hawaii Intl Film Festival Golden Orchid Jury Award Nominee Best Documentary Feature, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Best Feature Documentary Nominee, Official Selection Beijing Intl Film Festival, United Nations Association Film Festival, among others.
Intl TV broadcast and presentations at US Embassy China, World Health Organization, among others.
Leftover Woman (feature screenplay)
An earnest TV producer and her saavy business friend must overcome tremendous social odds to launch an empowering women’s show in China, when they get swept into romances that challenge their beliefs.
Selected awards:
Writer's Guild of America Festival Pitch Finalist; Hedgebrook Screenwriter's Lab Honorable Mention; California Film Institute Screenwriters Master Class Selection
An American Dream (film or immersive)
An American Dream is the true rags-to-riches story of a Chinese-American magnate who outwits anti-Chinese legislation and discrimination to build the world’s first Chinatown after the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906.
In development.
