Yikai Luc Wu is a cinematographer and photographer from Liuzhou, China. Ironically, his Chinese name translates to “Eternal Happiness,” while much of his work is drawn to characters navigating loss, longing, and the quiet complexities of being human.

He studied Film Directing at the California Institute of the Arts and has since worked across narrative films, dance films, experimental projects, and theatre productions. Moving between Liuzhou, Shanghai, and Los Angeles has shaped his interest in how personal histories and cultural environments influence the ways people see, remember, and understand the world around them.

His work explores how images can reveal the experiences of ordinary individuals, examining the relationship between the camera, characters, and space to explore the connections between memory, perception, and lived experiences. As a cinematographer, he is interested in capturing the subtle transformations of characters’ states through visual language, creating emotionally charged spaces between reality and imagination.

His cinematography work has been selected for the Berlinale, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Locarno Film Festival, Osaka Asian Film Festival, FIRST International Film Festival and other international festivals.

Alongside his work in cinema, photography remains an essential part of his artistic practice. Through portraiture and street photography, he continues to explore questions of identity, memory, and human connection.

Away from film sets, he is known among friends and collaborators as a dedicated coffee enthusiast and former café co-owner, always in pursuit of the next great cup of coffee.