The way we met was by magic. We were both working at Sundance when I saw her in the office. She seemed intelligent, happy and open-minded. I was immediately drawn to her and eagerly introduced myself. I admired her sweater, and she told me she had made it herself, and she could teach me how to make one too (!). I learned that she was a student in the film school where I had gone. We were also the same age - kind of on the older side for working at Sundance, or for attending film school. By the end of our conversation we had made plans to hang out. And that was that. We were friends. Over the years, I had the pleasure of getting to know Chen-Wei and discovering what an exceptional human being she was.

She was a musician, composer, artist, cinematographer, and filmmaker. She was kind and generous. She was tough. Enduring and managing cancer is not for sissies. Chen-Wei was the coolest girl I knew yet she never held it over me or anyone. She had no pretense. She was genuine in every way. She was committed to true expression. She came across as being low-key because she was low-key about most things, but she had VERY strong opinions about her art and could be stubborn as hell. She had definite convictions, and if you see her films, you can tell because they are visceral, hard-hitting expressions of her deepest feelings about life.

She had a sense of humor that would sneak up on you, the best kind. We shared a lot of laughs together and I looked forward to every time that I got to hang out with her. The conversation would range from the most trivial to the cosmic but underneath it all would be connection and being fully present. She understood things so deeply. I loved hiking and exploring nature with her. And she was so generous. Even though she was battling cancer the whole time I knew her, she wanted to help as much as she could. She was always there for me.

Chen-Wei was insatiably curious about the world, about art, music, nature, and making things. She was deliberate and she did things with dignity and determination. Her hands were busy creating things from scratch, taking things apart and putting them back together, making works that impacted her loved ones, and works that needed to be expressed. Her home was filled with objects and furniture made by her own hands. She created a life full of beauty and meaning and she brought beauty and meaning to our lives. She was always thinking and making and creating. And she was always helping others to do the same.

She had so much to give to this world. She made it a better place by being in it. The world feels different without her. I miss her so much. I will miss her for the rest of my life.