Meet Peiqi Peng | Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Peiqi Peng and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Peiqi, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in Suzhou, China, a city with a lot of history and humidity. As a child, I was very into fantasy books/games/films and even wrote sci-fi short stories for children’s magazines. My interests in that shaped how I see the world. As a filmmaker and a storyteller, I now find myself interested in the surreal moments in reality. All my work has combined heightened genre elements into social-realistic stories.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what differentiates me from other creatives working in the film industry is how I’m able to combine a worldly, Gen Z sensibility with my classically trained crafts as a director. I studied Anthropology and film in undergrad and later at the American Film Institute as a directing fellow. My education prepared me with skills and crafts to tackle all the technical aspects of being a director. On the other hand, as someone who is younger and from the generation that was raised on the internet, I understand the ever-changing world around us in a way that might be less familiar to the more established figures of the industry.

Recently, I’m proud of my thesis short film at AFI, A Roadside Banquet, which is on its festival run right now. We have screened at more than ten festivals so far, with half a dozen down the road. Some highlights include Oscar-qualifying festivals like the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival and Durban International Film Festival. We also won both the Jury and the Audience Award at CineGear Expo LA, and we are about to have our Asian Premiere back home at FIRST, which is the leading independent film festival in China. It has been incredibly rewarding to connect with fellow filmmakers and audience members around the country and the world.

Though one thing I’ve learned working as a director is that one short does not bring you everything. Even if it does well, it’s just one of the many stepping stones you need in your career, and it is always a long haul. I’ve learned that a young director’s journey is a story of perseverance above all else.

Down the line, I want to continue making more narrative shorts and write feature scripts, while also spend a large portion of my time doing directing-for-hire work. I want to continue doing commercial works because I find it incredibly rewarding to help bringing the vision of an artist or a brand into reality. I hope my journey as a filmmaker can be a story of encouragement for younger people who aspire to become a director one day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My idea of a perfect time in LA will be something like this: morning indoor rock climbing session at Cliff of Id in Culver City, go to K-town for lunch and Boba, head up to Los Feliz to check out the Skylight Books and the shops on Hillhurst and Vermont. Then, in late afternoon, do a short hike up to Cedar Grove in Griffith park to watch the sunset. End the day with a movie — Burbank or Universal AMC for blockbusters, or Los Feliz 3 if you want something more arthouse.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shoutout to my parents, for providing me an environment growing up where I never feel pressured into fitting into a certain box. This environment allowed me to grow my interests and pursue my dreams. The journey of becoming a working director involves a lot of hard work, and so much investment both in time and financial support. It is extra competitive, in my case, where I’m trying to make it as a foreigner in America.

Despite not having any connection to the film or art world in their careers, they have always been very supportive of my interest in it since I was a child. I want to give a shoutout to them, for always supporting me in pursuing who I am as a creative — without it I won’t be able to be here and talk about any of this.

Website: www.peiqipeng.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pacificrimno1/