Bio
Diane Russo Cheng is a filmmaker and photographer. Her east coast Italian - American roots, and her queer identity deeply inform her work. She loves finding the extraordinary in ordinary people and translating their stories with visceral and stunning imagery.
Diane’s journey began in fashion photography. She loved the detail and specificity that went into creating a beautiful moment. From there she became obsessed with combining that moment with storytelling. Her earlier fashion films for British Vogue, and Document Journal took a humanistic approach where rebellion, truth and beauty held hands. These projects caught the attention of commercial brands. Since then, Diane’s been making captivating and badass work for Nike, Spotify, META, and so many others.
At the heart of Diane’s work is a respect for the body and for connection. As a casual athlete, she’s drawn to physicality in all its messiness - the grit, power, blood, sweat, and tears of pushing through hard things. She’s interested in pride earned through endurance rather than victory. That same sensibility shapes the emotional core of her films, which immerse viewers inside her characters’ worlds and explore moments of reconnection - back to identity, creativity, and the body, those electric flashes when someone feels whole again.
Diane’s work has received multiple Vimeo Staff Picks, and her accolades include a 1.4 Award, a Gold ADDY, and a top-10 placement at Berlin Commercial. Her personal projects have been recognized by festivals around the world, including Clermont-Ferrand, Palm Springs, and Outfest.