Tonghuan Zhao

Tonghuan Zhao is a Chinese writer-director and cinematographer based in New York. He received his BA in Documentary Photography from the Communication University of China and his MFA in Film Directing and Screenwriting from Columbia University. His work explores the fragile terrain of youth, intimacy, and separation, tracing the quiet, unspoken emotions that shape human relationships. He is currently developing a feature screenplay, a darkly comic family drama set between China and the United States.

His short film Last Day in the North, completed as his thesis film at Columbia, received support from the Indian Paintbrush Fund. It was recognized with Jury Selects, Student Selects, and the Audience Award at the Columbia University Film Festival, and was also named a 2026 National Board of Review Student Grant winner.

As a cinematographer, he shot the feature film Jet Lag in Summer, which was selected for the 25th New York Asian Film Festival, the 28th Far East Film Festival, and the 9th Pingyao International Film Festival.

Tonghuan previously served as a teaching assistant for the Directing and Directing Actors courses in Columbia University’s MFA Film Program.