Qiu Yang is a filmmaker whose practice explores intimate stories and shared human experience to understand our common humanity and vulnerability.
During his fellowship in Japan, he will research and document the personal stories of people and communities in Okinawa, particularly those living with the pressures of regional geopolitical tension. Based in Naha, he will travel across the islands, visiting memorial sites and museums and meeting ordinary local residents, scholars, politicians, and community groups. Through oral-history gathering, archival research, and field observation, he will explore how Okinawa’s complex history and social landscape shape relationships, memories, and everyday lives across generations. He hopes to learn how people persist with histories not of their choosing, how homes can become sites of resilience, and how our common daily struggles are quietly shared.

Profile　QIU Yang 
QIU Yang is a Chinese filmmaker and photographer who trained at the University of Melbourne. His graduation film, Under the Sun, was selected for the Cinéfondation Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 and nominated for Best Short Film at the Taipei Golden Horse Awards. Two years later, A Gentle Night took the Short Film Palme d'Or at Cannes and an Honourable Mention for Best International Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival, and in 2019, She Runs won the Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for Best Short Film at Cannes Critics' Week.
His first feature, Some Rain Must Fall, premiered in the Encounters section of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024 and won its Special Jury Award, followed by Best Cinematography and Best Performance at the Tribeca Film Festival. It also won the FIPRESCI Prize at Golden Horse, where it was nominated for Best New Director and Best New Performer. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.