Ningyi Sun is a Chinese filmmaker based in Queens, New York. Her work is shaped by a transnational background that spans studying Portuguese in Brazil, working on political mediation in Singapore, and serving with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic. It was in Bangui, the capital of CAR, that she shot her debut film, Eat Bitter.

Supported by the Sundance Documentary Institute, New York State Council on the Arts, Ford Foundation, and Hot Docs, Eat Bitter is a portrait of a Chinese construction manager and a Central African sand laborer—two men chasing happiness in a country shaped by civil conflict and colonial legacy. The film premiered at CPH:DOX in 2023, screened at over 50 international festivals, was later acquired by the BBC, and earned Ningyi the Emerging Documentary Director award at the 47th Asian American International Film Festival.

Ningyi is currently developing her first narrative feature, A.M.P., inspired by true stories of Chinese women working in the underground massage economy in Flushing, Queens. The project explores ambition, survival, and the complexities of navigating an informal economy under systemic policing. Its proof-of-concept short, The Life, is set to begin its festival run in 2026.