Rain joined Pure Film Creative in 2006 when she collaborated with James Killough on his film Losing Her. It has been a steadfast partnership ever since, which has seen the two of them working on a wide range of high-visibility projects, from fashion film to commercials to features. Their most recent collaboration, Mother & I (2016), with Rain directing and James scripting, received over a million views in a single day in China, following an unprecedented theatrical release for a short film that was attended by over a hundred members of the Beijing press corps.

A wünderkind cinematographer, Rain shot her first feature film at 19, when she was still a student. That kicked off her long association with legendary cinematographer Christopher Doyle. She has also worked with other internationally renowned filmmakers, including Jim Jarmusch, Mike Figgis and Gus Van Sant, for whom she shot Paranoid Park, helping him win a major prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.

At 24, she was named one of the 10 Best Cinematographers of the Year by Variety, and received the Best Cinematography award from the Boston Society of Film Critics. The Hollywood Reporter named her one of the best cinematographers of this generation.

Always looking for new challenges, Rain shifted her focus to directing, helming commercials and short films for major brands like Dries Van Noten, Yohji Yamamoto, Dove and Uniqlo. Her debut feature, Beijing, New York was exceptionally well received across her native China. One critic wrote, “It’s not just a love story. Its exquisite quality and honesty will leave an indelible mark on Chinese cinema for decades to come.”