QIU Yang was born and raised in Changzhou, China. He studied film directing at the Victorian College of the Arts in Australia.
His short film A Gentle Night was awarded the Short Film Palme d’Or at the 70th Festival de Cannes. He became the first ever Chinese director to receive this award. In 2015, his short Under the Sun was selected for the 68th Festival de Cannes Cinéfondation Competition
He was also a participant of Golden Horse Film Academy, Locarno Filmmakers Academy and Berlinale Talents.