Debbie Lum

Lum worked for several years as a film editor for documentary filmmaker Spencer Nakasako. She's been mentored by Nakasako and documentary filmmaker S. Leo Chiang.[4]

Lum's debut feature documentary is Seeking Asian Female, a film about an older American man seeking to marry a woman half his age from China that he met online. The film is centered around Lum's perspective as a Chinese American woman, who document's the journey and serves as translator.[5][6] The project was originally conceived due to Lum's interest in the real life complexities behind the "yellow fever" phenomenon.[4] Seeking Asian Female was an official selection at the 2012 South by Southwest festival.[5] It won "Best Documentary Feature" at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and Lum won "Best Documentary Director" at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.[6]

Lum is the director and co-producer of the documentary Try Harder!, a film about five high school seniors at the competitive Lowell High School in San Francisco and their college admissions journeys.[7] Production began while Lum was working on a separate documentary about tiger parenting, My Tiger Mom, at Lowell High School.[3][8] Try Harder! made its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, which was held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[9][10]

Lum was born in Virginia and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri.[5][11] She graduated from Brown University in 1991.[12] She received her MFA in cinema from San Francisco State University.[1]

Lum is fifth generation Chinese American.[4] She speaks limited Mandarin Chinese.[4]