‘don’t worry be happy’
Shanghai International Film Festival
Promises from the 26 organizersNumber The Shanghai International Film Festival aims to blend “old and new” and this year’s program will showcase up-and-coming contemporary directors as well as films that trace the development of the local industry from the early 1900s to today.
China’s bustling metropolis has been transformed by its annual film extravaganza, which will feature 1,600 screenings of 461 films at 47 cinemas across the city’s 16 districts from June 14 to 23. Heavy advertising is everywhere, hanging from lampposts and prominently displaying billboards across the city of more than 26 million people.
Domestic productions feature prominently throughout the program, particularly this year with 12 mainland Chinese films competing in the festival’s flagship Golden Goblet feature film competition.
“As China’s only international A-category film festival, SIFF brings many excellent international films, including new works by famous directors and classic works, to China and Chinese movie fans through competition and screenings,” said Chen Guo, managing director and general manager of SIFF. “Meanwhile, we also have the opportunity to trace the trajectory of Chinese cinema and promote the latest Chinese films.”
The buzz has been building all week, with the Golden Cup judges meeting with reporters and local star Zhou Xun (Painted Skin) took to the stage. As soon as it was Zhou’s turn, the audience greeted her en masse with smartphones raised, and the star unofficially opened the event.
“This is an important film festival because it gives Chinese audiences a chance to watch foreign films, and it allows our international guests to learn about China through Chinese films,” Zhou said. “I hope to be amazed and enthralled by these films.”
With no Hollywood (or Korean) entries in the main competition, there are no international A-listers this year, but there is a star-studded Chinese lineup, and Shun’s moment was nearly stolen by veteran Hong Kong star and Golden Goblet jury member Tony Leung Ka-fai, who is also jury president and last year’s Cannes Best Director winner Tran Anh Hung (The taste of things), suggested the Vietnamese director to sign Shun for his next film, kindly adding that signing Shun might be a good idea. “We’re not the best Chinese stars, but we’re close,” Leung joked.
Other Chinese stars taking part in SIFF include box office topper Yao Chen, Da Peng and Ni Ni.
The 14 films competing for the Golden Globe Awards include four Chinese films, of which 12 are world premieres and two are international releases.
The most notable is Guan Hu, who recently won the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes.Black Dog). men and women Set in Hong Kong during the pandemic, the story of two wayward souls drawn together by circumstance (hotel quarantine); box office hit starring Ni Ni and Huang Bo; and don’t worry be happywhich depicts the relationship between a mother with cancer and her intellectually disabled son, is by Chinese director Wei Shujun, who is active at the Cannes Film Festival and has three films screening at the Croisette Theatre.
Jury president Tran is returning to Shanghai after serving on the same jury in 2011. The France-based Vietnamese filmmaker said he was looking forward to discussing the films he will be watching with the other jurors and the audience. “Cinema is a language we all share,” Tran said.
In the Golden Goblet’s Asian Newcomers category, 11 films were selected to commemorate the 20th anniversary.Number This year’s selection is particularly strong, at least on paper, and includes six local works, some of which are interesting. AbsenteeDirector Lu Dan’s tale of a difficult homecoming set among China’s Tatar people. Different birds featherA coming-of-age drama centered on an albino girl, directed by 22-year-old Indian director Manohara H. Smith.
As Chen alluded to, there are welcome references throughout the programme to Shanghai’s role in establishing China’s film industry – it was here that China’s first studio was founded in the early 1900s, so it’s fitting that the Shanghai International Film Festival was chosen to host the world premiere of the classic 4K restoration. Princess Tessenwas Asia’s first animated feature film and was produced by the pioneering Great Wall Film Company Wang Brothers (Lai Ming and Gu Chang). Fans can also watch 4K versions of Zhang Yimou’s Oscar-nominated works, among others. Raise a red lantern(1991), the festival will look back on how Chinese cinema has developed over the years.
In terms of international releases, SIFF has put together a mix of recent critics’ favorites. Perfect Days, Evil Doesn’t Exist — along with some classic works (Tess, SacrificeThe concurrent SIFF Market will focus on the business of film, with a guest list of around 3,000 people expected, and will also feature pitching sessions and co-production promotion as China’s film industry continues to gradually recover post-pandemic.
SIFF was on a roll even before the festival began: Organizers say all 200 tickets for screenings sold out within 10 minutes and 350,000 tickets were sold within an hour of online sales opening on June 7.
“We’ve seen a lot of positive responses on social media from moviegoers who are looking forward to seeing these films at SIFF,” said Cheng. “The positive feedback from moviegoers is most encouraging for us.”
