Who Is Jia Ling, 'Hi, Mom' Actor & Director To Become Highest Grossed Female Director

Chinese film director and actor Jia Ling became the highest-grossing female director in the world, overtaking Patty Jenkins because of her single film Hi, Mom that grossed $838 million (RMB5.41 billion) since its February 12 premiere.

The Chinese film that depicts the emotional story of a mother-daughter relation made a huge success amidst a global pandemic that left cinemas there capped at 50-75% their maximum capacity.

On the huge success of her film, Ling said, "I want to thank you guys, but I don’t know what to say."

"All of it was unexpected — unexpected to the point that although I’d been prepared to heavily promote the film, once it came out , I was practically embarrassed to do so," she added.

Who Is Jia Ling?

Jia Yulling is a 39-year-old director as well as actor who grabbed global attention for her 2021 film Hi, Mom. Her appearance at the 2010 Spring Festival was another reason for her rise to fame. She made her screen debut back in the same year during the CCTV New Year's Gala where she appeared in a segment called Gala Talk. Her performance was voted the third favourite performance of the night.

The Chinese helmer is also a stand-up comedian who took part in the TV show Lok Street which is about improv comedy. Later, she performed her sketch Lok Street during the 2015 CCTV New Year's Gala.

Her career which was on a smooth rise ever since she graduated in Xiangsheng back in 2003. However, she faced controversies and backlash for her 2015's comedy sketch Hua Mulan which displayed the sung hero Mulan in a comic character who had an eating disorder and was duped into joining the army.

In 2021, she made her debut in the directorial world with her Hi, Mom that she made in the memory of her own mother. This film was adapted from her 2016 sketch comedy of the same name and was also released during the Chinese Spring Festival.