Qiu Jiongjiong's 'Fuxi: Four Tales of Feasting' Explores Pandemic-Era Longing at Tokyo Film Festival

Background

• Chinese painter and filmmaker Qiu Jiongjiong began developing his new feature during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• He told *Variety* that the global pause sparked an urgent desire to return to everyday life and to gather around a table.
• That impulse became the starting point for "Fuxi: Four Tales of Feasting," which is competing in the main competition of the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Structure and Themes

• The film connects four historical eras through food and shared meals, with each chapter approaching the pleasure and meaning of eating through its own fantastical vocabulary.
• An opening title card presents "Fuxi" as a phrase evoking both the delight of food and the act of eating.
• Qiu said he used the meals at the center of each chapter to explore questions of life and death, describing a "relativity specific to this film – the relationship between the large and the small, or between a meal and the sun and the moon."
• Unlike his previous feature "A New Old Play" (which focused on an individual's personal history), "Fuxi" unfolds sequentially across four eras via four short stories.

Cast and Language

• Lee Kang-sheng, longtime lead in Tsai Ming-liang's films, plays two elderly women from different eras, including a dying grandmother in the prehistoric chapter.
• The entire film is spoken in the Leshan dialect of Sichuan province; Lee worked with several dialect coaches.
• Qiu said he was drawn to Lee's "mysterious quality" and felt it suited a character from ancient times, leading to the decision to cast him as a woman.
• Lee Hong-chi (Taiwanese actor) portrays Song dynasty poet Su Dongpo; he also worked with dialect coaches and said he only learned he was playing Su Dongpo upon receiving the script.
• Both actors cited the film's nonrealistic aesthetic and Qiu's created world as key attractions.

Production Context

• "Fuxi" marks Qiu's first collaboration with professional actors, an experience he says has broadened his creative ambitions.
• The film's competition status at Tokyo International Film Festival was confirmed by the festival's official lineup.

Exhibition and Future Projects

• A solo exhibition titled "Qiu Jiongjiong: Fuxi: A Feast for the Universe" runs at Chengdu's A4 Art Museum through January 31.
• The show is built around three Sichuan-style banquets and uses painting, video, and installation to explore the region's culture and its ideas about life and death.
• Qiu told *Variety* he is still developing his next project and has not yet settled on its subject or medium.

Related Comments (Reported Claims)

• Qiu singled out Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic "The Odyssey" as a recent film that impressed him, noting its reconstruction of history and aesthetic.
• Lee Kang-sheng said he recently watched Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" for the first time after recommendations from Tsai Ming-liang and actor Chang Chen.
• Lee Kang-sheng has just wrapped filming on Argentine director Iván Fund's science-fiction film "Bodies of Summer."
• When asked about future roles, Lee said he usually lets roles find him and expressed openness to action or martial-arts films to step outside his familiar screen image.

Verification and Practical Implications

• Original announcement: *Variety* article (source URL: https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/pandemic-longing-gather-tokyo-competition-title-fuxi-1236936421/)
• Festival lineup: Confirm competition selection via the Tokyo International Film Festival's official website.
• Exhibition details: Check Chengdu A4 Art Museum's official site for dates and access information.
• Language note: The film's use of Leshan dialect may affect distribution and subtitling strategies for international audiences.
• Career trajectory: Qiu's shift from solo visual art to professional actor collaboration signals a potential evolution in his filmmaking approach.