Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jingwen Felix Qiang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jingwen Felix Qiang, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I have worked on is my short film Calexico, which is currently developing into a feature film. This project is deeply tied to a personal wound—my breakup with someone I loved intensely. Almost six years ago, I met and fell in love with Ash in Beijing, a relationship that felt like an undeniable, gravitational force, larger than ourselves. However, life’s realities intervened: I had to leave for a master’s degree in Philadelphia and then made the difficult decision not to return to China due to visa challenges and the harsh environment for queer people. This separation left us with confusion, longing, and an unresolved ending.
Calexico was born from this raw, unspoken grief. The film explores themes of avoidance, vulnerability, and the painful distance that life’s barriers—like immigration and societal pressures—can create between lovers. Set against the backdrop of a border town, the border wall symbolizes the emotional and physical separation between Ash and Lo, characters based on us. Through minimal dialogue and intimate moments, the film captures how sorrow often goes unspoken, how lovers sometimes avoid confronting the pain of separation, and how unresolved goodbyes haunt us across time.
What makes this project especially meaningful is that it embodies a universal human experience. The nuanced emotions of longing, fear, avoidance, and vulnerability are not just personal but resonate deeply with anyone who has loved and lost or faced separation from someone dear. Calexico is my way to give voice to these lingering, often hidden emotions, inviting the audience to see and acknowledge the complexity and truth of love’s endurance amid the harsh realities that life can impose. It is an intimate, vulnerable journey of closure and farewell—both deeply personal and profoundly shared by many. This tension between the personal and the universal is what gives the project its true significance and emotional power. 

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a software engineering lead at Amazon, currently working on the IMDbPro team. My passion lies in leveraging technology to serve users better, a drive that took root in graduate school and has since grown into an exciting entrepreneurial journey. I am developing my own entertainment and media AI startup, focused on democratizing the creative process—making it more accessible for true creatives to produce content and distribute it to the right audience. This mission to empower creatives is at the heart of what I do, solving the problem of accessibility and connection in the creative industry.

By night, I am a film director who chooses projects with meaningful impact or strong creative challenges. I have a deep love for exploring nuanced emotions that often go unnoticed and showing them in ways that make audiences feel truly seen—an experience I find profoundly therapeutic. My short film, currently in the final stages of post-production, is fiscally sponsored by Film Independent. While developing my startup, I continue to pursue filmmaking, balancing both passions simultaneously.

What sets me apart is my unique position as both a creator and a user of my startup’s product. This dual perspective allows me to genuinely understand and address users’ needs because I am building a tool I want to use myself. Additionally, my professional background spans the marketing domain—as my first job was in business development at VICE—and technical expertise, having contributed to various entertainment products such as Amazon Luna, AWS StudioInTheCloud, and IMDbPro. My experience also extends to investment banking and venture capital, equipping me with the knowledge to secure funding and grow a startup effectively.

My project is currently in a very early, stealth stage, and I am actively seeking a collaborator with a technical background to join me in developing this vision. I am most proud of integrating my multifaceted experiences and passions to create innovative solutions that enhance how creatives connect with their audiences and tell their stories.

If you are interested in learning more or potentially joining this journey, please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is the mindset of moving fast and chasing whatever funding or trends are dominating the market at the moment. Early in my career, especially while working in venture capital, I saw countless startups rise quickly simply because they were aligned with what capital was chasing. I was convinced that this approach—adaptability to market trends—was the way to succeed and prepare for the future.

However, over time, I realized that while adapting to trends is important, the most crucial factor is to follow your passion and pursue what truly resonates with your heart. The startup journey inevitably comes with many ups and downs, and resilience becomes essential to persevere through the dark moments. It’s incredibly difficult to stay brave and continue forward if you’re constantly trying to fulfill everyone else’s needs instead of your own vision. For instance, while an enterprise-based AI startup may be easier to fund and find customers for, the market is highly competitive. If funding dries up and your team is waiting on next month’s salaries, what will sustain you?

I had to unlearn the habit of chasing the tide and learn instead to be calm and deliberate about the direction I want. This shift encourages me to build something meaningful to me first, which in turn fuels the resilience necessary to weather challenges and create lasting success. This lesson has been pivotal in refocusing my approach to entrepreneurship and personal fulfillment.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A pivotal moment in my life and career is unfolding right now. After spending a significant amount of time at Amazon as a software engineering lead, where I’ve gained invaluable experience and established a strong position, I find myself at an exciting crossroads. Alongside my tech career, I’ve been passionately developing my short film, which is now nearing completion—a creative journey that has been deeply fulfilling.

This turning point feels like the perfect moment to embrace a bold pivot. I am eager to channel the skills and insights I’ve gathered into building my own startup, combining my technical expertise with my passion for entertainment and media. At the same time, I want to pursue my love for filmmaking more freely by working as a freelance director, taking on projects that challenge me creatively and make an impact.

This transition represents more than just a change in roles—it’s about aligning my work with my true passions and ambitions. After years of growth and achievement in a structured environment, I’m ready to take on new risks, innovate, and create on my own terms. It’s an exhilarating shift, driven by a desire to blend technology and creativity to empower others, while also fulfilling my own artistic vision.

This moment is both a culmination of everything I have built so far and a fresh new beginning where I redefine success on my own terms. I’m excited about the possibilities and ready to embrace the challenges that come with forging this new path.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.filmindependent.org/sponsored-projects/calexico/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jingwen.felix/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jingwen-qiang/