Kathy Ou is a bilingual multimedia reporter, film critic, and documentary film worker based in New York City. Raised in Shenzhen, she moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to study philosophy and media at Occidental College. The bougainvillea blossoms reminded her of home, though it was less humid in Southern California. When she started taking photographs for Occidental’s newspaper, Kathy’s interest shifted to journalism and writing.
She is driven by stories about human resilience and people seeking ways to reinvent and sustain their communities. Throughout her four years at The Occidental, Kathy covered events in Northeast Los Angeles neighborhoods through photos, videos, and articles about everything from small businesses to special education to local arts and politics. As a fellow in the 2023 Asian American Journalists Association VOICES program, she photographed and wrote about competing visions for the Los Angeles Chinatown.
Kathy has written criticism for outlets such as The Amp, Offscreen, Frame Rated, Aotu Doc (凹凸镜), Hyperallergic, and more. She’s also worked behind the scenes on various films, performing archival production, assistant work, and photography, among other roles. She welcomes movie dates and book chats, and has a particular interest in docufiction, Albert Camus, and the art of sitting still.
Currently, Kathy is working toward her M.A. at New York University in the Cultural Reporting and Criticism program. She expects to graduate in December 2024. She is available for freelance writing and production work.