Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing titles on the festival circuit this year. The new feature from acclaimed Chinese artist-filmmaker Qiu Jiongjiong will make its world premiere in the main competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival, while Parallax Films steps in to oversee international sales.
For viewers drawn to visually daring cinema, myth-infused storytelling and boundary-pushing auteurs, this announcement puts Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting firmly on the must-watch list. The project not only builds on Qiu’s growing global reputation, but also signals continued international appetite for highly stylized Asian art-house filmmaking.
Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting lands in Tokyo competition
The selection of Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting for Tokyo’s main competition is a significant moment for Qiu Jiongjiong. Festival competition slots are often reserved for films with strong artistic identity, and this one appears to fit the bill perfectly.
According to details surrounding the film, the story is rooted in the folklore of China’s Sichuan province and unfolds across four distinct feasts set over four thousand years. That ambitious structure brings together the living and the dead, gods and ghosts, around the same table. The title itself draws from a Sichuan phrase associated with the joy of eating, hinting that food in the film is more than a visual motif; it is a ritual, a bridge between worlds and a storytelling device.
That premise alone makes Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting stand out in a crowded festival landscape dominated by biopics, realist dramas and prestige literary adaptations. Here, the appeal lies in imagination, symbolism and cultural specificity.
Qiu Jiongjiong’s singular visual language
One reason cinephiles are paying close attention to Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting is Qiu’s unmistakable style. The filmmaker first won broad international notice with A New Old Play, which earned the Special Jury Prize at the 2021 Locarno Film Festival. Since then, he has become known for work that merges cinema with painting, theatre and installation art.
Rather than pursuing naturalism, Qiu reportedly constructs highly tactile visual worlds using hand-painted scenic backdrops, handcrafted props and deliberately theatrical staging. That approach gives his films an artisanal quality that feels increasingly rare in an era of digital over-polish.
What makes his filmmaking distinctive?
- Painterly compositions inspired by traditional and contemporary art
- Theatrical mise-en-scene instead of conventional realism
- Handmade sets and props that emphasize craft
- Mythic and folkloric storytelling with surreal undertones
- A blend of historical memory, performance and cinematic experimentation
In Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting, those traits seem likely to be amplified by the film’s expansive timeline and supernatural framework.
A notable cast with cross-regional appeal
The cast adds another layer of curiosity and international attention. Lee Kang-sheng, best known as Tsai Ming-liang’s longtime screen collaborator, takes on two grandmother roles in different chapters of the film. It marks his first female roles on screen, making his involvement one of the production’s most talked-about creative choices.
He is joined by Lee Hong-chi, an actor-filmmaker whose own directing work has earned major festival recognition, and Annie Chen, known to many streaming audiences from Born For The Spotlight. Together, the cast gives Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting a blend of art-house credibility and wider regional visibility.
Why the cast matters
Festival films often rely on strong ensemble work to carry unconventional structures. In this case, the performers are central to making a four-part mythic tale emotionally coherent. Their presence may also help the film travel across international markets, especially among audiences already familiar with East Asian cinema and prestige television.
Parallax Films expands its partnership with Qiu
Parallax Films taking international sales on Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting is more than a routine business development. It extends an existing relationship between the sales company and Qiu, whose earlier works are also represented by Parallax.
That continuity matters. Sales agents play a major role in positioning festival titles for overseas distributors, programmers and specialty platforms. A company that already understands a filmmaker’s aesthetic and audience can often build a stronger strategy around premieres, critical reception and territory-by-territory rollout.
For Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting, the move suggests confidence in the film’s ability to resonate with buyers looking for bold auteur cinema from Asia.
International backing and a wider artistic universe
The production itself reflects broad regional and institutional support. Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting is a co-production spanning Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, produced by David Tang, Ningyuan Ding and Zhao Jin. It also received backing from several respected film funds and project platforms, including HAF, the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, the Red Sea Fund, Doha Film Institute and NAFF.
That kind of support often signals strong industry belief in a project’s artistic and global potential. It also shows how transnational financing continues to power some of the most adventurous filmmaking in Asia.
Adding to the film’s cultural footprint is Fuxi: A Feast For The Universe, a large-scale exhibition tied to the project at Chengdu’s A4 Art Museum. By presenting paintings, sets, props and installations from the film’s imagined world, the exhibition transforms the movie into a broader multimedia experience. In practical terms, it strengthens Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting as both a film event and a contemporary art phenomenon.
Why Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting matters in today’s screen landscape
At a time when global film conversation often revolves around franchise fatigue and algorithm-friendly storytelling, Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting represents something refreshingly different. It is culturally rooted, visually handcrafted and unapologetically auteur-driven.
Its Tokyo launch could position it as one of the season’s key international art-house discoveries, especially for audiences interested in:
- Chinese-language cinema
- Asian folklore on screen
- Festival premieres and awards contenders
- Experimental visual storytelling
- Crossovers between film and contemporary art
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Conclusion
With a major Tokyo International Film Festival premiere, a trusted international sales partner and a striking blend of folklore, theatre and visual art, Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting is emerging as one of the year’s most fascinating screen projects. For anyone tracking world cinema, festival buzz or innovative storytelling, Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting is a title worth watching closely.
