FLYING FISH

影片结合真实的家庭档案和虚构的叙事，探讨了自我发现和性别认同的复杂旅程。我从小时候的照片里找到了很多影楼艺术照，我意识到影楼与变装表演之间的某些联系。在虚构的影棚里，我找到了一群鳄鱼同伴。在那里，所有的鳄鱼都可以自由地跳舞……

影片呈现了记忆的流动性和幻想的无限可能性。它也反思了社会压力和性别的操演性。

The film combines real family archives with fictional narratives to explore the complex journey of self-discovery and gender identity. I found many artistic photos from my childhood, which made me realize certain connections between photo studios and drag performances. In a fictional studio, I discovered a group of crocodile companions, where all the crocodiles could dance freely…

The film portrays the fluidity of memories and the boundless possibilities of fantasy. It also reflects on societal pressures and the performativity of gender.

导演：明萌萌
编剧：明萌萌
主演：明萌萌、李千雪、蕾蕾、陈思仿、黄兰芸、仰成、颜千惠、点点
制片人：明萌萌、安宇洁
摄影：李千雪、安宇洁、陈思仿
类型：实验短片
时长：10分3秒
完成时间：2024年
对白语言：汉语普通话
地区：中国、英国

Director: Mengmeng Ming
Screenwriter: Mengmeng Ming
Cast: Mengmeng Ming, Qianxue Li, Leilei, Sifang Chen, Lanyun Huang, Sen Kwok, Chien-Hui Yen, Shiyu Zhou
Producer: Mengmeng Ming, Yujie An
Cinematographer: Qianxue Li, Yujie An, Sifang Chen
Genre: Experimental short film
Length: 10min3s
Year: 2024
Dialogue: Mandarin Chinese
Region: China, UK

明萌萌，2000年生。艺术创作者，影像制作人。本科毕业于北师大数字媒体艺术系，硕士毕业于英国中央圣马丁表演：影像专业。她近期的实践主要围绕东亚酷儿叙事以及酷儿实验剧场展开。2023年，她的影像作品《共生》在伦敦Copeland Gallery展出。2022年凭借作品《21世纪东亚女性博物馆》入围阿那亚戏剧节“候鸟300”艺术家。

Ming Mengmeng, born in 2000, is an artist and filmmaker. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Digital Media Art from Beijing Normal University and a master’s degree in Performance: Screen from Central Saint Martins in the UK. Her recent work focuses primarily on East Asian queer narratives and queer experimental theater.
In 2023, her film work Symbiosis was exhibited at the Copeland Gallery in London. In 2022, her work The Museum of 21st Century East Asian Women was selected as part of the “Migratory Birds 300” program at the Aranya Theater Festival.

我的短片《会飞的鱼》是一部关于我性别身份和表达的自我民族志探索。影片从变装的角度切入，通过家庭档案记录的影像，展现了从带有“男性气质”的打扮到强化性别气质的影楼艺术照的过渡。这一部分通过家庭的亲密对话来贯穿叙事。影片的后半段通过虚构的新影楼，创造了一个浪漫的幻想世界，对主流西方电视和流行文化中的变装表演进行批判性反思，同时质问“酷儿身份（queerness）”对我来说意味着什么。

搬到伦敦后，我发现当代的变装表演完全被西方化。而不同于西方的变装（drag），中国有着丰富的变装历史，从中国戏曲到文学和神话中的变装。我希望通过变装来塑造另类的角色，挑战传统的性别二元论，探索我自身文化身份的复杂性。

“鳄鱼聚会”部分的影像来自我的实验剧场作品《变形》，这是一个由东亚酷儿共同创作的非线性实验剧场。作品融合了视觉图像、口语文本、身体动作、服装设计、场景设计和声音采样，创造出一个描绘酷儿乌托邦景观的梦幻奇观。

My short film FLYING FISH is an auto-ethnographic exploration of my gender identity and expression. The film begins by focusing on cross-dressing, weaving through family archives—from depictions of “masculine” attire to gender-specific photo studio portraits. This part is narrated through intimate family conversations. The latter half of the film transitions into a romantic fantasy by creating a fictional photo studio, offering a critical reflection on drag culture as seen in mainstream Western television and popular culture, while questioning what “queerness” means to me.
After moving to London, I realized that contemporary drag performances are heavily Westernized. However, unlike Western drag, China has a rich history of drag, from Chinese Opera to cross-dressing in literature and mythology. I aim to challenge the traditional binary emphasis on extreme masculinity or femininity by using drag to create alternative characters and explore the complexities of my cultural identity.
The “crocodile gathering” segment incorporates footage from my experimental theatre piece Metamorphosis, a non-linear experimental performance collaboratively created by a group of East Asian queers. It integrates visual imagery, spoken text, physical movement, costume design, set design, and sound sampling to create a dreamlike spectacle depicting a queer utopian landscape.