Washington DC [US], August 30 : Actor Shu Qi has stepped behind the camera for 'Girl', her directorial debut that world premieres in competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, followed by a Centrepiece slot at the Toronto International Film Festival, reported Variety.
Set in Taiwan in 1988, the deeply personal drama follows Hsiao-lee, a withdrawn girl who finds hope through friendship with the spirited Li-li, even as her mother's past echoes her own pain. The film stars Roy Chiu, jazz singer 9m88 and newcomer Bai Xiao-Ying.
It all began over a decade ago when director Hou Hsiao-hsien asked Qi to try direction. Qi finally completed the script in a Milan hotel after serving on the Venice jury in 2023.
Shu first gained recognition in Viva Erotica (1996). Since then, she has collaborated with director Hou Hsiao-hsien on three films: Millennium Mambo (2001), Three Times (2005), and The Assassin (2015). She has also played leading roles in arthouse films and box-office hits, including If You Are the One (2008), A Beautiful Life (2011), Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013), and Gone with the Bullets (2014).
On how she decided to make 'Girl', the actor-director added, "The idea of making 'Girl' came around some day in 2011 when I was chatting with director Hou about some doubts about acting. He suddenly said to me, "Do you want to be a director?" I was shocked. I thought, how could this be possible? He said, "How would you know if you don't try?" So this idea took root in my mind," according to Variety.
She continued, "In the summer of 2013, during the filming of "The Assassin," director Hou and I were chatting while waiting for the lighting. All of a sudden he asked me if I was ready to be a director. I didn't expect that he would still remember this matter. With a great doubt in my mind I asked seriously, "Do you really think I can do it?" He said, "Yes! What's wrong with that? You can write it yourself. Start with what you want to say most," as per the outlet.
Later, she started working on the script, as the 'Girl' director mentioned, "After that day, I began the script writing journey for more than 10 years; intermittently, I overturned, restructured, and then overturned, pondering for an ending for a whole year and then overturned and reorganised over and over. Every time director Hou saw me, he would ask about how my writing was going. Many of his ideas have always influenced me. He would talk about Hemingway's iceberg theory, that the story of a film is often the tip of the iceberg above water, so you have to explore the exposed part of the iceberg. When the bottom layer under the iceberg is accurate enough, the part above water can cause shock, with refraction of different scenery on different sides," reported Variety.
"In 2023, I attended the Venice Film Festival as a member of the jury. Seeing one masterpiece after another, I suddenly felt an urge to stop wavering and finish writing the script as soon as possible. So, after my jury duty, I decided to stay in Italy. I spent over two weeks in a hotel in Milan and finally completed the script that I had been intermittently working on for 10 years," she added.
After this debut, she talked about balancing acting and directing, and how filmmaking opened up a new primary focus for her, "This is just my first feature film as a director. I always joke that I am a new veteran director, so I can't say if I will have a new focus in the future. First and foremost, I hope this movie is a success and well-received by the public. Once I have a second film to shoot, I will consider a new focus," as per the outlet.
However, she added that "for me, acting and directing don't need to be balanced; they are two different professions, after all. I can only say that I am fortunate to have been an actor before, so as a new director making my first feature film, I hope I have taken less detours," according to Variety.