2025 marks the 30th anniversary of actor Shu Qi’s [IG] debut in film, and her most recent directorial debut in Venice with ‘Girl’. Shu Qi is lensed by Nick Yang [IG] with creative direction by Vogue China’s Liu Xiao. Kidd Ji styled the fashion shoot with four covers Vogue China [IG] November 2025. / Hair by Johnny Ho; makeup by Xin Miao

Colors in the fashion shoot carry symbolic meaning for Shu Qi. Star, actress, director — three colors, three identities, forming the unique trio that is Shu Qi.

Blue, to Shu Qi, is the azure glow enveloping the bridge in “Millennium Mambo”, the blue eyeshadow reflecting a girl’s emotions in “City of Glass”, the flowing blue mist among mountains in “The Assassin”… Blue holds the deep sea of feelings, and through each character‘s lived experience, Shu Qi pours herself out completely.

Red, to Shu Qi, conveys her immense energy in the most direct way—this side of her is expressive, intense, radiant, and grand, as natural as breathing, yet as dazzling as flame.

Black, to Shu Qi, represents the relentless pursuit and boundless exploration behind her role as a director. Black is not an end, but a beginning—Shu Qi constructs narrative order from chaos and seeks breakthroughs in storytelling beyond the realm of light.

Vogue China writes:

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Shu Qi’s directorial debut, ‘Girl’, has been selected for the main competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The news came as something of a surprise. She recalls, “I was so excited, so thrilled, and felt that it was all worth it…everything was worth it.” As the applause lingered for nearly ten minutes after the global premiere, she kept telling herself: Hold back, don’t cry—such a grand occasion, no tears. But in the end, she couldn’t hold them back.
Back in 2018, while participating in a documentary shoot, Shu Qi first shared her desire to become a director. She took out a notebook, marker in hand, and read an unfinished script line by line to strangers: “The girl held the bread, breathing in its warm, comforting fragrance…” That unfinished script would later become ‘Girl’.

The Singapore Film Festival, running from Nov. 26-Dec. 7, has announced that Shu Qi’s ‘Girl’ will open the event. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta becomes the first-ever female recipient of the Cinema Honorary Award in Sinagapore.

Shu Qi also took home the best director honors for ‘Girl’ in late September at the 30th edition of South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival.