Qiu Jiongjiong’s ‘Fuxi’ Debuts at Tokyo Film Festival

A prehistoric grandmother and a Song dynasty poet share a table in the new competition entry from Chinese artist Qiu Jiongjiong.

Qiu began developing the project during the global pandemic, a period he described as one where people felt an urgent pull to return to daily routines and gather together. That collective longing became the foundation for “Fuxi: Four Tales of Feasting,” which is now competing at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The film links four distinct time periods through the act of eating, with each chapter using a unique fantastical style to examine the pleasure and meaning of a shared meal. An opening title card defines “Fuxi” as a term that captures both the joy of food and the physical act of consuming it.

The cast includes Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng, a frequent collaborator of director Tsai Ming-liang. Kang-sheng plays two elderly women from different eras, including a dying grandmother in the film’s prehistoric segment. The entire film is performed in the Leshan dialect of Sichuan province, a language Kang-sheng did not speak. “This may be the film with the most dialogue I’ve ever had, but I couldn’t understand a word of it,” he said. Qiu noted that he was drawn to Kang-sheng’s mysterious quality, which he felt suited a character from ancient times, leading to the decision to cast the actor in a female role.

Taiwanese actor Lee Hong-chi also joined the cast after working with dialect coaches. He portrays the Song dynasty poet Su Dongpo, a role he did not know he had been cast in until receiving the script. Hong-chi stated that the dialect presented a challenge, but he wanted to be part of the production because of its nonrealistic aesthetic and the specific world Qiu had created. Qiu said he used the central meals in each chapter to approach questions of life and death, exploring a relativity between the large and the small, such as a meal versus the sun and moon.

This marks Qiu’s first feature film that relies on professional actors. His previous work, “A New Old Play,” focused on a single individual’s personal history rather than a sequential narrative. Qiu said that working with trained performers has expanded his creative ambitions. The film’s themes are also on display at Chengdu’s A4 Art Museum, where his solo exhibition “Qiu Jiongjiong: Fuxi: A Feast for the Universe” runs through January 31. The show features painting, video, and installation built around three Sichuan-style banquets.

Qiu cited Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” as a recent film that impressed him, expressing fascination with its reconstruction of history and aesthetic choices. Kang-sheng, who has gained international attention for his work in Tsai’s “Walker” series, mentioned watching Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” for the first time after recommendations from Tsai and actor Chang Chen. He said he was surprised by how long ago the film was made and that it increased his curiosity about different types of cinema. Kang-sheng recently finished filming in Iván Fund’s science-fiction movie “Bodies of Summer.”

When asked about future projects, Kang-sheng said he usually lets roles find him. He stated that whether playing a gangster or an old woman, he aims to bring his own version of himself to the part. He added that he still stops to watch Jason Statham films to the end whenever they appear on television, suggesting that an action or martial-arts film could offer him a chance to step outside his familiar screen image. Qiu is currently developing his next project but has not yet settled on its subject or medium.