Today we’d like to introduce you to Qi Qi.
Hi Qi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a single-parent family in Beijing. When I was little, my parents broke up, after which both of them have led a new life and couldn’t spend much time with me. In a state of loneliness and longing for connection, I found a new companion – film. I often played various films to accompany me. They helped me see a different world with places I’d never been to and events I’d never experienced in my small room at home. From then on, I’ve dreamed of studying in the US. I expect that the American scenes I saw in the films will become part of my real life. I went to South Carolina to study at the age of 15. As I entered the US, like many other overseas peers, I hoped to fully merge into American culture. However, I gradually discovered that my inborn culture has taught me different values from those American culture holds dear. Different values manifested in the manners in which I conduct myself around my peers, which led me to struggle to fit in socially.
At the Global Cinema class, I saw Ang Lee’s films. I admire him for the terrific way he expresses the Chinese culture amid the Western cultural background while satirizing the sexual repression in traditional culture. I try to reconcile with myself and think over whether I can become my true self and confidently demonstrate our own culture. Once again, I found my way out through films. And this time, I started to dream about making films and deem my life experiences as valuable materials. So, I chose Film Production as my major and started my bachelor’s courses at Pratt Institute. Currently, I am pursuing my Master’s degree in Film & Television Production at the University of Southern California.
Throughout my coursework, I have gained a deeper understanding of both the science and the art of filmmaking. I hope to express my inner dialogue and viewpoints through my craft. A good film is not merely a made-up story but a reflection of life. It shall be shocking, awe-inspiring, pioneering, just as lives are. As a director and editor, my films are a reflection of my unique life, one that undeniably intertwines with my cultural and gender identity.
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?
I wish to narrate stories from a feminine perspective and explore new ways of expressionism through females’ unique experiences. I hope to speak for women and make society pay more attention to female issues through my films. In recent years, with fresh expectations, I have observed females in different positions across society and listened to them telling true stories in life. I recorded many interesting female stories with my pen and camera, such as an uneducated old lady who published her romantic poem collection and a housewife aged above 50 who decided to leave home and started a road trip. In particular, I came to recognize various issues women are facing, such as restricted right to education, workplace discrimination, and domestic violence. I felt a deep sense of powerlessness, from which a burning desire to further develop my craft arises. I hope to further my studies so that I will be better at telling compelling stories of women to enact greater change at home and beyond.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In most of our experiences, life goes on in the midst of rising and retreating waves of conflicts. In my view, the most empowering part of a film is that the audience sees their lives portrayed in a cinematic form. Although specific circumstances might differ, the basic human conditions and the emotions extracted from those circumstances are deeply relatable. This universal connection, reaching from me through my work to the audience, is the ultimate goal for me as a director and editor, especially as a female filmmaker. What I will express in films is to go beyond the male perspective and let females explore and shape who they are. For me, film becomes a way to know and narrate myself. As Theo Angelopoulos said, “The significance of the works is to make you endure, wait, dream, expect…and fight.” I always believe so long as we keep creating, we’ll embrace the moment when we realize all our life experiences in the past is just for this piece of work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: norahqi77
Image Credits
All the images are stills from my films.
