SIFF World Express | ALL EARS at JOGJA-NETPAC Asian Film Festival

The JOGJA-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF), held annually in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, is regarded as one of Asia’s prominent film festivals. The 18th edition of JAFF took place from November 25th to December 2nd this year. The Chinese-language film ALL EARS was selected by the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) and competed in the Panorama section of this festival. Following its earlier appearance at the Tokyo International Film Festival, ALL EARS once again graced the international stage through the SIFF World Express program. And the lead character Wen Shan thence brought forth his heartwarming and inspiring story to the Indonesian audience, touching them with the essence of living a fulfilled life.

Poster of the 18th JAFF

Previously, ALL EARS competed in the main competition section of the 25th SIFF. Director Liu Jiayin received the Best Director Award for this film, and both Hu Ge and Da Peng, the lead actor of this film and DUST TO DUST respectively, were honored with the Best Actor Award.

Poster of ALL EARS

The film, directed by Liu Gayin and supervised by Cao Baoping, tells the story of Wen Shan, an ordinary screenwriter who feels lost in life. By a stroke of fate, he begins to make a living by writing eulogies. Through encounters with a diverse range of individuals, Wen Shan not only brings comfort to others but also finds solace and discovers his true purpose in life. Starring Hu Ge in the lead role, with Wu Lei and Qi Xi as key cast members, the film also features a special appearance by Huang Lei and Bai Ke.

In 2018, SIFF entered into a collaborative partnership with JAFF. As part of this collaboration, the SIFF carefully selects outstanding Chinese-language films from its competition and screening sections to be showcased at the JAFF in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. And this initiative aims to foster cultural exchange and mutual learning between the two countries in the realm of film by entertaining local Indonesian audiences with the diverse genres and themes of Chinese cinema.

As the sole non-competitive international film festival in China, SIFF has been maximizing its international platform to provide strong support for outstanding Chinese-language films. Incepted in 2015, the festival’s World Express program is committed to carefully selecting exceptional works from the competition and screening sections to be showcased at major international film festivals, to facilitate the global distribution of Chinese films and promote co-production and overseas presales for potential projects. And through these efforts, the festival helps exceptional Chinese-language films to “go global”, to share Chinese stories, and amplify the voice of China on the world stage.