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 demo, Marie Antoinette VR, has premiered at renowned venues, such as Cannes Film Festival Next VR and Busan International Film Festival. Based on its success, we are now expanding into a VR series, entitled The Redemption of Marie Antoinette.
THE TEAM
Carol Liu
Director/Producer/Writer
Francois Klein
Co-Producer
Francois Klein
Co-Producer
THE FOUNDER
Thomas Villepoux
Director of Photography
Thomas Villepoux
Director of Photography
Thomas Villepoux
Director of Photography
Thomas Villepoux
Director of Photography
Thomas Villepoux
Director of Photography
Thomas Villepoux
Director of Photography
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 the untold stories of marginalized figures.
CAROL LIU FILMS
Carol has written, directed, and produced original films under Carol Liu Films, including award-winning feature documentary Restoring the Light, and Chinese-themed romantic comedy feature screenplay Leftover Woman. She is currently developing a dramatic TV series set in early Chinese-America and a war film about the true story of two forgotten female heroines.
OTHER PROJECTS
Restoring the Light (feature documentary)
A rural eye doctor helps underserved villagers in rural China regain their sight and restore their lives.
View on Amazon Prime.
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 (TV series)
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.