SIFF NEXT | SIFF NEXT Phase II - Development Workshop - of the 25th SIFF Project Concluded Successfully

The winter development workshop of the 25th SIFF · SIFF NEXT, phase II of this unit, was successfully held at Shanghai Film Academy, Shanghai University from January 16th to 19th. The creators of the six shortlisted projects made in-depth exchanges with four mentors and project presentations to the media and industry guests on January 18th. The mentors awarded the "Best SIFF NEXT Project" and attended a roundtable forum.

SIFF NEXT is a new talent incubation unit launched by SIFF in 2019. Unlike SIFF PROJECT, SIFF NEXT focuses on emerging project creators, aiming to discover and support talented newcomers in the film industry. Through a series of progressive events, SIFF NEXT provides targeted assistance to help them enter the film industry as well as a professional platform for them to complete their first and second feature films.

Finalists of SIFF NEXT 2023

SIFF NEXT of the 25th SIFF received more than 830 applications submitted for the traineeship, including over 540 for the year 2022 and over 290 for the year 2023. Among them, 9% were for the producer team, 25% for the screenwriter team, and 66% for the director team. During SIFF in June, 20 trainees were selected as participants in a 7-day "SIFF Industry Insight Trip", where they had in-depth experiences in market, forums, and film screenings, winning fruitful results.

In early November, SIFF NEXT launched the call for feature film projects to all previous finalists. A total of 21 projects were submitted. After the selection by the juries, Liu Ran (SIFF NEXT 2020), Ye Zhou (SIFF NEXT 2020), Miao Jina (SIFF NEXT 2023), Chen Xialu (SIFF NEXT 2023), Wan Di (SIFF NEXT 2023), and Xu Ruijing (SIFF NEXT 2023) gathered in Shanghai with their projects and teams to participate in the Development Workshop and industry training activities.

Internal project presentation

This Development Workshop has invited four senior filmmakers, including director and screenwriter Liu Jiayin, screenwriter and director Mei Feng, producer Shen Yang, and screenwriter and producer Zhang Jialu, as mentors. During the closed-door workshop held in the first two days, in-depth discussions and exchanges were made between mentors and representatives of the shortlisted projects on project development. They covered various aspects such as scriptwriting, filming and production, and financial planning. The mentors also reviewed and explored the future development direction of the projects with the shortlisted reprensentatives and provided many valuable and constructive suggestions.

Discussion between mentors and project teams

The third day of the workshop was the Industry Open Day.  Public presentations were made to the media and industry guests for the selected projects. This was not only a debut of the projects in front of the camera, but also an important "rehearsal" before entering the industry and market. At the event, four mentors, Liu Jiayin, Mei Feng, Shen Yang, and Zhang Jialu, as well as the jury members, young director Jing Ran and producer Liu Hui, the strategic partner Shanghai Film Academy, Shanghai University, the chief sponsor Mahua FunAge, and the special sponsors Project Da Vinci and Tsing Law, along with industry guests from various film and television companies such as Shanghai Film Group, young filmmakers in Shanghai, and the media, listened to the trainees' public presentations in an attentive manner.

Representatives of the shortlisted project teams and jury members Jing Ran and Liu Hui

Public presentation of projects

After the evaluation of the mentors and comprehensive consideration of factors such as the main creative teams of projects and development feasibility, the honor of "Best SIFF NEXT Project" was finally awarded to THEIR OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY and DUCK HILL.

THEIR OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

Reason for recommendation: The characters are well-defined, the pacing is smooth, the topics are thought-provoking, and the director and screenwriter have excellent collaboration. This project is highly anticipated.

DUCK HILL

Reason for recommendation: This folk legend is presented in a three-part structure, with characters that span from beginning to end, creating a mysterious and captivating story loop. The project has a relatively clear aesthetic direction, with well-written and skillfully executed storytelling.

After completing their respective projects related to a short film in the first half of this year, the two honored project teams will be eligible for the next SIFF PROJECT. To support the incubation of the winners of "Best SIFF NEXT Project" and the shooting of their short films, SIFF NEXT, together with industry partners, will provide support for the production of the related short films. Mahua FunAge, the chief sponsor, and special sponsors Project Da Vinci, Phenom Films, Heguang Studios, and Tsing Law will provide complementary services in the fields of filming equipment, post-production sound production, film color grading, and legal consultation for the two short films aside from RMB 90,000 in cash respectively.

Winner of "Best Training Camp Project" with mentors and partners

During the roundtable session, the four mentors first reviewed the six projects of this session. They also emphasized the importance of script soundness, maturity of production ideas, and team alignment at the current stage leveraging their collaboration experience with young directors and their own professional experience

Roundtable forum with mentors

The Development Workshop, held for the fourth session, has become an annual gathering for filmmakers in Shanghai during the winter. The seats for industry guests were fully occupied on the public day. In addition, SIFF NEXT continued its cooperation with Tsing Law and held the winter legal salon for films on January 19. During the event, there was also a screening of short films by young filmmakers, showcasing the latest excellent short films from previous SIFF PROJECT and SIFF NEXT directors at major film festivals, followed by post-screening discussions.

Industry wine party

SIFF NEXT is designed to incubate, select, and recommend outstanding film works, and support more talented young film workers. It is an important part of SIFF's step-by-step support system for newcomers. The support system mainly cultivates young film workers through SIFF EXPLORE, Short Film of Golden Goblet Awards, SIFF NEXT, and SIFF PROJECT, providing comprehensive support for them to gradually reach the podium of the film industry. The "initial intention" of the establishment of SIFF NEXT is to recommend outstanding young Chinese film professionals to the film industry, promote more cooperation among young filmmakers from all over the world, and establish a mechanism for direct access to SIFF PROJECT through recommendations. The establishment of the summer and winter phase activities not only expands the duration of the film festival to an entire year, but also sets up a progressive connection and incubation model.

SIFF NEXT, as SIFF's incubator program, will call for applications for the traineeship from young filmmakers, directors, and screenwriters from the Chinese-speaking region in February 2024. We hope that there will be more talented young filmmakers joining us through SIFF NEXT, to make new friends, write great scripts, and create excellent films together.

Photo credit: LIMITLESS

Photographer Yang Zhensong