Today we’d like to introduce you to Peiqi Peng.
Hi Peiqi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey of writing and directing fantasies started when I was around twelve. I had been writing sci-fi stories for children’s magazines since about the third grade, but it was all just materialization of daydreams. Then, when I was twelve, an only child wandering in an often empty Chinese apartment, I started seeing cats coming out from the back of my couch. I saw food bowls, and water fountains, and the cats slinking through the bedroom door. I loved those cats and cared for them.
It was only years later that I realized we never had any pets at all. I also learned that I saw those things, probably as a reaction to traumatic incidents that happened to and around me. Yet, I’m always inspired by how my eyes tend to find surreal moments in day-to-day life, moments where reality and fantasy blur. Even if my visions came from something negative, my childhood eyes found something beautiful.
I spent years studying Film, Anthropology, and Post-Colonial Studies in Australia, the Czech Republic, and later the U.S. Through that time, I started writing and directing contemporary female stories, combining naturalistic stories with genre elements, when real life gets a little heightened and strange. I recently finished my M.F.A in Directing at the AFI Conservatory, where I continued working on my skills, and insisted on creating untold stories with filmmakers from diverse backgrounds.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s the usual struggle of always being an outsider, living abroad as a foreigner for most of my life. But for me, the biggest challenge always comes from within. I love working with fellow filmmakers and artists, strive in collaboration, and genuinely enjoy the process of creating. However, when not working, I succumb to anxiety and negativity. For my career, it means sometimes it’s hard for me to reach out first, to find communities, to get myself out there — when it’s such a crucial part of being a creative in this city. It’s something I’m conscious of and continuously work on.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a director, I do both narrative work and client-based content. I write and direct contemporary female stories that combine social commentary with genre elements like gore, thriller, and fantasy. I’m currently working in post on a short film, and my AFI thesis, A Roadside Banquet, a $65,000 short film about a girl that turns into a feather duster, is going to start its festival run this year.
As a freelance filmmaker, I’m particularly interested in the music video world. I grew up as a fan of various musicians, be it K-pop, rock, indie, or pop singers from the west. I have a lot of experience working as an AD or a PA for music videos and commercials, and I want to make that jump into creating videos for artists. I love the freedom and expressiveness of music videos, and as a fan my whole life, I love how it’s a process where you can build creative personas, imageries, and art around and for an artist.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I’m constantly looking for gigs in the music video scene. If you are a musician or know an artist who would need services like that, I would love to send in a pitch or start a collaborative, creative journey with an artist.
On the narrative side, I’m currently finishing up a feature script and have a few short film scripts ready to go that I’m looking forward to shooting sometime this year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.peiqipeng.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pacificrimno1
- Other: reel: https://vimeo.com/788891247
Image Credits
Yukun Chan, Jacob Okada
