SIFF SPECIAL | Probably the Very Best Collection of Chinese Art Films of the Last Decade

Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) has always attached great importance to the academic and thematic review of film history. On the one hand, through the curation of thematic film screening, the festival has been able to link up works from various key periods in the history of cinema, such as ROMANCE OF SHAKESPEARE: THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHAKESPEARE'S DEATH in 2016, CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD NARRATIVES - FROM KEATON TO HITCHCOCK in 2017, THE BAZIN LEGACY and CONTEMPORARY ASIAN AUTHORS in 2018, ASIAN LEGENDS AND REALITIES and A TRIBUTE TO PIONEERING WOMEN FILMMAKERS in 2019; on the other hand, through collaboration with renowned brands around the world, the relationship between film creation and production has been re-examined from the perspective of manufacturing, with the launch of such sections as 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF ZEDONG and FOX SEARCHLIGHT in 2016, 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHOCHIKU in 2020, and SCREENING FOR THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF TOEI in 2021.

In 2018, after reorganizing the screening structure, SIFF launched the SIFF SPECIAL section, which incorporates curatorial practices from both of the above areas. This year, this section is particularly rich with the CHINESE ART CINEMA unit aside from the retrospectives already released on 100TH WARNER BROS, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTARY, and TOEI ANIMATION.

A selection of Chinese films with high artistic value produced in the last decade will be screened during the festival to showcase the exploration and innovation by Chinese cinema in the midst of the rapid development of the market. With four lines of Chinese art film production in recent years sorted out, 15 representative films are selected to cover not only the representative works of the sixth and middle generation directors, but also a number of highly acclaimed feature films by emerging directors.

All the films in the Contemporary Chinese Art Film Exhibition unit will be screened twice during the festival, one of which will be a scheduled screening at Grand Theatre for art film fans and aspiring film scholars to promote discussion, research and interest in Chinese art cinema. Fans will be able to exchange their ticket stubs for specially produced film screening brochures at Grand Theatre.