SIFF EXPLORE｜Calls for Entries of SIFF EXPLORE Came to a Close, Foreign Works Seen Significant Increase

The activities of SIFF EXPLORE will be held during the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) from June 15 to 17, 2023. As of March 31, the call for entries of this unit has drawn to a close. According to statistics, this session of SIFF EXPLORE has received a total of nearly 3,900 entries from home and abroad, including more than 1,800 entries during this application period (that is, from December 2022 to March 2023), and more than 2,000 works from the previous application period (that is, from December 2021 to March 2022).

Judging from a content-based and professional perspective, the submitted works, with high degree of completion, are varied in types, exquisitely produced, and full of ingenuity, coming with either profound expressions of ideas and concepts, or the innovation of shooting techniques; either the reflection of problems in the real world, or keen exploration of human nature; either the intention to convey wonderful feelings and warm emotions, or the outlook and thinking of the world in future. Each of them, though short in length and small in size, has incorporated the insights and sincere expressions of each creator, providing the audience with a variety of perspectives to observe society and experience life, and also reflecting the bold attempt and innovation of the next-generation creators in filming.

As for the genres of works, feature films, documentaries, and animations still occupy the top three places, which is, especially, the case for domestic works. However, interestingly, for foreign works, feature films and documentaries account for only 13% of the total number, while the proportions of animations, experimental films and other types have all exceeded 20%.

Judging from the geographical distribution, these works are originated from an array of countries and regions, showing this unit’s increasing global influence. Creators from nearly a hundred countries and regions have been attracted to sign up, and the ratio of foreign works has risen from 20% in the last year to 40% this year. Iran, India, France, the United States, and Brazil are the top five countries contributing the most entries this year, accounting for 18% of the total number of entries and 37% of the total number of foreign entries this year.

This year, SIFF EXPLORE has received strong support from the official strategic partner Migu Video and the exclusive educational support unit Shanghai Vancouver Film School. At the same time, as an emerging section of SIFF to encourage and support young film creators to explore and create boldly, this unit has also engaged the China Cinema Editors Association Short Film Professional Committee, Feinaqi Beijing Animation Week, We Love·Cross-Strait Youth Short Film Competition, Yitiao and other professional institutions, as well as Beijing Film Academy, Communication University of China, Shanghai Theater Academy, Shanghai Normal University, Shandong University of Art and Design, Sichuan University of Media and Communications, Northeast Normal University and Maple Leaf International School and other universities and colleges.

At present, SIFF EXPLORE has launched the selection of works to shortlist 20 outstanding works in the end. The creators of the 20 selected works will be invited to participate in the on-site promotion, instructor forum, exploration class, closing red carpet ceremony, and other official activities in Shanghai. To amplify the platform’s influence and enhance interaction and communication, a screening salon will also be held to invite instructors to make on-site evaluations, communicate face-to-face with creators, and share the glory and happiness of filmmakers in the thick film atmosphere of SIFF.