Fish and Elephant
| Fish and Elephant | |
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| Traditional | 今年夏天 |
| Simplified | 今年夏天 |
| Mandarin | Jīn nián xià tiān |
| Directed by | Li Yu |
| Produced by | Cheng Yong |
| Written by | Li Yu |
| Starring |
Shitou Pan Yi |
| Music by | He Wen |
| Cinematography | Fei Xiaoping |
| Edited by | Li Yu |
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Release date
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Running time
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106 minutes |
| Language | Mandarin |
Fish and Elephant (Chinese: 今年夏天; pinyin: Jīn nián xià tiān; literally: "This summer") is documentary filmmaker and former TV hostess Li Yu's feature film directorial debut. The film is also often referred to as the first Chinese mainland film to broach the topic of lesbian relationships in China.
The story follows the elephant keeper in the Beijing Zoo who maintains an aquarium of fish in her home (hence the two-animal title), and her lesbian lover, a fabric saleswoman in an outdoor market. Her relationship is tested, however, when her recently divorced mother returns to town in the hope of setting her daughter up in marriage. Further complicating matters is one of Xiaoqun's ex-lovers also returning to her life with the law in pursuit.
The film was produced by Cheng Yong Productions and was an "underground" production (in that it was not made with official support). Moreover, the film was cast entirely with non-professional actors and actresses.
Filmed on an almost-square 16 mm format,Fish and Elephant was the first feature film by Li Yu, who had previously directed several documentaries, including 1997's Sisters, a film which had run into state interference.
Casting by Li Yu was done entirely with non-professionals. The two leads, Xiaoqun (Pan Yi) and Xiaoling (Shitou), were cast after Li began visiting various lesbian bars in Beijing. Similarly, several of the film's "blind dates" were based on actual dates set up by Li through classified ads. The men's reactions upon Xiaoqun revealing her sexual orientation therefore are entirely natural and accurate. Some have reported that this focus on amateurs was only partially by choice, in that Li had been unable to sign on established talent due to the controversial script and story.
Once the film's production was complete, it faced several challenges before it could be seen by audiences. Due to its underground status, Li Yu did not have the support of the Chinese authorities. An attempt to deliver a print to the Venice Film Festival in 2001 led to it being lost. Later screenings, therefore, like at the Toronto Film Festival, for example, had to be on videotape instead of a film reel. Fortunately for Li, copies of Fish and Elephant eventually managed to screen at over 70 different film festivals around the world.
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