About
U-MA STUDIOS
U-Ma Studios is a VR production company that produces original, cinematic VR 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, VR creator and founder of U-Ma Studios. She holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA in Film from NYU Tisch, is an inaugural fellow of Oculus Launchpad and Google’s pilot Jump Start program. Carol is passionate about using film and VR to revisit history and bring to light untold stories. She is building the ART STANDARD, an NFT enabled metaverse platform to power more arts-centered storytelling experiences and raise funds for museums and arts institutions.
CAROL LIU FILMS
Carol has written, directed, and produced original films under Carol Liu Films, including award-winning feature documentary Restoring the Light. She is currently developing Goddesses of Nanking, winner of the SF FILM Rainin Screenwriting Grant, a war film about the true story of two forgotten heroines.
OTHER PROJECTS IN FEATURE FILM, TV AND DOCUMENTARY
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; Honorable Mention, Hedgebrook Screenwriter's Lab; California Film Institute Screenwriters Master Class Selection
An American Dream (musical film)
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.