Cultural Exchange via the Cinema: The 25th SIFF Opening Review

Culture Exchange via the Cinema, A Gala of Light and Shadows

This year marks the 30th anniversary of SIFF. Over the past 30 years, SIFF has held true to its mission of “being rooted in Asia, promoting Chinese-language films, and supporting new talent,” witnessed the glory of its history and the spirit of the times, and earned its reputation as the fastest-growing international A-class film festival. The Golden Goblet Awards this year are highly anticipated, with a total of 53 films across five sections: Main Competition, Asian New Talent, Documentary, Animation, and Short Film. Among them, 36 films will have their world premiere, 12 their foreign premiere, and 5 their Asian premiere. Among Chinese films, ALL EARS, DUST TO DUST, and GOOD AUTUMN, MOMMY are competing in the Main Competition; MAY, GONE WITH THE BOAT, DAY DREAMING, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, TIME STILL TURNS THE PAGES, and LOVE, MY WAY are nominated for Asian New Talent, which is included for the first time in the Golden Goblet Awards system. SUMMER KNOWS, THE LONG JOURNEY, COLD SPELL IN LATER SPRING, GIFT, TWENTY, QUESTIONS TO HEAVEN, and THE BEE AND THE FLY are competing for Short Film. LEAP OF FAITH and MASTER ZHONG are nominated for Documentary and Animation, respectively. These films will have their world premiere during the SIFF while competing for the awards. The jury for Main Competition, Asian New Talent, Documentary, Animation, and Short Film consists of 21 members from 12 countries and regions, including Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, Kyrgyz director Aktan Abdykalykov, Swiss director Christian Frei, Japanese animation producer Taro Maki, and Taiwanese producer Peggy Chiao.

Revolving around the internationally recognized, professional, and authoritative Golden Goblet Awards, the SIFF builds a bridge with films to deepen the exchange and mutual learning of film cultures among countries, ethnicities, and regions. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance and the Belt and Road Film Week launched by SIFF. Over the past five years, leveraging its platform advantages, the SIFF has been promoting exchanges and cooperation among film institutions and filmmakers from countries along the Belt and Road, expanding the “circle of friends” in the Alliance. Ildikó Enyedi, well-known Hungarian director who was a jury member for Main Competition of the 21st SIFF in 2018, will return this year as a guest of the SIFF Masterclass. And hosting this masterclass is none other than Zheng Dasheng, the Chinese director who served as a jury member in 2019 for the Miskolc International Film Festival, a member organization of the Film Festival Alliance. The film project “Absence, which participated in the SIFF Project in 2019, was among the line-up for Short Film in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and  Feature Film in the Berlin Film Festival’s Encounters section, and is now the opening film of the Belt and Road Film Week at the 25th SIFF. Zhao Tao, who was recommended by SIFF to be a jury member for Feature Film at the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa in 2022, alongside Lei Jiayin, is invited this year to serve as a promotional ambassador for the Belt and Road Film Week. Friends, old and new, gather in Shanghai to launch the Beacon Program, upholding the philosophy of unity in diversity, mutual learning, and mutual benefit. Driven by innovation, we aim to further promote the integration of diverse cultures along the Belt and Road.

Building a bridge for cultural exchange, cultural integration, and people-to-people connectivity is the mission of SIFF where outstanding filmmakers and masterpieces from around the world gather for a spectacular celebration of the cinema. During SIFF, at the 2023 China Film & TV Night, based on the innovative concept of “ideas + art + technology,” China Media Group will showcase the efforts of Chinese filmmakers to create high-quality works and present to the world a trustworthy, lovable, and respectable image of China.

Concerted Efforts to Empower Film Industry Upgrading

In 30 years, SIFF, drawing its energy from Shanghai’s city spirit of being “inclusive, aspiring, enlightened, and generous,” as well as the city character of being “open, innovative and tolerant,” has built a platform for global filmmakers to develop their careers with consistency, to fulfill its role as an international competitive feature film festival. SIFF has gradually established a “6+1” progressive new talent nurturing scheme spanning SIFF EXPLORE, Short Film of Golden Goblet Awards, SIFF NEXT, SIFF PROJECT, Asian New Talent of Golden Goblet Awards, Golden Goblet Awards and SIFF YOUNG, to pave the way for young people to grow as filmmakers and echo their film aspirations.

During this year’s SIFF, the 12 themed forums of the SIFForum will focus on innovative development of the entire film industry chain, offering insights for building a stronger Chinese film industry. The opening session, “Chinese Film Industry in the Global Context,” invites industry leaders from home and abroad to contribute their ideas to establishing a new pattern of international film cooperation and promoting the high-quality development of the film industry in the new era. Various industry forums will delve into specific topics, such as how low- and medium-budget films can find their position in the “blockbuster era and gain a foothold in the market. The special session “Giant of the Century: Forum to Commemorate the Centenary of Xie Jin’s Birth” aims to inherit the master’s artistic concepts and film spirit that transcend the times. In the conversation with Chair of the Jury of the Golden Goblet Awards, Jerzy Skolimowski will share his cinematic journey and his unwavering pursuit of the world of images. The Film Education Innovation Forum will address how film education can keep pace with the rapid technological and conceptual advancements represented by metaverse and artificial intelligence, which is expected to attract the attention of professionals.

Major film and television institutions are also seeking resources during the film festival. From June 10 to 12, at the Film Market held at Longemont Shanghai Hotel, film and television studios, investment and financing companies, film shooting bases, technology companies, post-production companies, marketing companies, distribution companies, production service agencies, and film academies will gather offline through exhibitions, market activities, and screenings. “Reception Room of Golden Goblet,” the official interview launched by the SIFF in collaboration with China Media Group, will also provide a stage for filmmakers and film institutions, strengthening cultural confidence in the film industry and joining in forging socialist culture in a new era.

Underlying the splendid SIFF lies Shanghai’s determination to build a global center for film and television creation. This year, SIFF introduced the “Sci-Fi Film Week”, combining themed screenings of 11 featured films and three forums. SIFF Sci-Fi Film Week Keynote Forum, Science and Film Fusion Forum, and Film Technology Forum, jointly organized by China Film Association, Songjiang District Party Committee, and District Government, gather professionals from the fields of film and technology to interpret the international landscape and contemporary context behind the development of sci-fi films and explore the development path of Chinese sci-fi films. In “Vision Lab” in cooperation with Putuo District, citizens can experience first-hand how cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual engines, blockchain, 5G, VR/AR/XR, and human-computer interaction are applied in various stages of film production. The venue offers panoramic viewing, 3D interactions, VR theater, XR installations, electronic domes, and more, creating a one-stop immersive experience. At the SIFF Metaverse Roadshow Center established by Metafilm, a combination of digital technology and cultural activities creates innovative, immersive and 3D interactive scenes, establishing new benchmarks for metaverse applications and unleashing the spillover effect of SIFF.

A new start for the Chinese film industry also sends a positive signal to the world. During the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival, Jérôme Paillard, Head of Marché du Film, sent his congratulations to SIFF via video: “The SIFF comes just after the Cannes Festival, and I wish you all a fantastic time in June.”

The continuous excitement around SIFF has also attracted support and partnership from top domestic and international brands. The official partner of this year, China Mobile Migu, will provide network and livestreaming technology support for the Golden Goblet Awards Ceremony. The online screenings will be presented on Migu Video and designated TV new media partner BesTV. The involvement of companies such as Dior, Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Cadillac, China Mobile Migu, and Ganten injects new vitality into SIFF.

A Feast for Film Lovers, Resonating with the Times

In the official promotional video for the 25th SIFF, young actor Jackson Yee navigates through light and shadows and heads toward Shanghai in June. The theme “Shanghai International Film Festival, I’m coming” embodies the anticipation of countless filmmakers and fans for SIFF. On June 2 at noon, ticket sales for this year’s SIFF were launched on the Taopiaopiao platform. Within the first hour, 256,000 people participated in ticket purchasing, and on the first day, 479 screenings were sold out. Subsequently, major theaters also opened offline ticket sales channels. The online and offline sales triggered waves of ticket-buying excitement, making SIFF truly a “people’s festival.”

For this year’s SIFF, approximately 450 outstanding films from around the world, including films nominated for the Golden Goblet Awards, will be screened in 50 halls across 41 cinemas in Shanghai. Among them, there will be 53 world premieres, 41 foreign premieres, 80 Asian premieres, and 76 Chinese premieres. As Shanghai promotes the brand of “Shanghai Culture,” the increasing number of premieres reflects SIFF’s increasing international influence and appeal. The opening and closing films of each SIFF are always highly anticipated. The confirmed film to open this year’s SIFF is LOVE NEVER ENDS, directed by Han Yan. This warm, realistic film focuses on the emotional lives of the elderly and portrays the brave and pure love of two people as they approach the end of their lives, continuing the director’s exploration of the themes of love and life. The closing film ONE AND ONLY, directed by Dong Chengpeng, is an inspirational story that follows a street dance veteran and an aspiring youth in their pursuit of dreams. The film also reflects the director’s continued focus on the inner world of ordinary people. The announcement of the two titles has quickly ignited anticipation among fans.

For many seasoned film enthusiasts, SIFF is where they “meet” the masters in various ways. The beloved TRIBUTE TO MASTERS section this time will center on the works of Xie Jin, Jean-Luc Godard, Itami Juzo, Mike Leigh, and Pema Tseden. Mike Leigh, who is in the UK, sent a video greeting to SIFF fans, wishing everyone a good time at the festival with the viewing feast, especially his film.

Besides paying tribute to the masters, SIFF fans even have a chance to interact with them. The SIFF Masterclass attracts many film enthusiasts and young filmmakers every year. This year, Ho-sun Chan, Ildikó Enyedi, Zhang Lv, and Sho Miyake will lead the audience on a journey of cinematic art.

 As film lovers and filmmakers come to Shanghai in June, Shanghai will also capture the splendor through the lens. The SIFF Shooting 48h to take place in Shanghai International Resort, themed “To Create for the Future,” uses landscapes to inspire creative ideas and discover emerging filming talents while portraying the beauty of Pudong through film language.

The influence of SIFF continues to grow. In recent years, it has actively reached out beyond Shanghai to share the achievements of Chinese and foreign cinema with more people. During this year’s festival, the Belt and Road Film Week will again go to the Yangtze River Delta with screenings of the latest outstanding films from countries along the Belt and Road in six cinemas across five cities: Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Hefei. Curated around the theme of “Conversation,” the Belt and Road Film Week this year will showcase 20 films, including eight competing for “Media Choice Award for Filmmaker,” “Media Choice Award for Films,” and “Audience Choice Award.”

Since its inception, SIFF has been committed to promoting the prosperous development of film art through the integration of Chinese and foreign cultures and the exchange of insights. Like the trees flouring in abundance as years fly by, SIFF, at its 30th anniversary, awaits filmmakers and film lovers to come together for their dreams and to embrace the future.