"I wanted to do something to show my respect," says the 29-year-old, who was born and grew up in Hefei, capital city of Anhui province, and later worked as a director for China Central Television's movie channel.

"My mother is very supportive. When she realized the whole idea was from her photos, she was touched."

For Li, who studied theater direction in Anhui University from age 16, the magic of theater lies in mirroring society and people's inner worlds.

"My research on theater audiences in China showed that 60 percent of them are female," Li says.

"With IWF, we want to tell women's stories through works of drama. What's more important, we hope that more people can understand how women deal with their lives in the modern world, especially the challenges they face."

This month, the festival also launched "Ocean of Flowers", a program aimed at offering amateur female playwrights a platform to display their works. Two selected dramas, The Night of Istanbul and The Predators, will be staged at Beijing 9 Theater in late May.

According to Li, the two selected female playwrights are from the post-1990 generation, and are "young and promising".

"Many of today's most compelling playwrights and directors worldwide are women. As for China, my idol is Tian Qinxin, who has become very influential in the country's theater scene," says Li.

"Women are eager to tell stories. I also encourage my mother to write her own stories and maybe one day, I can turn it into a drama."