SIFF EXPLORE | Top 50 Shortlist of SIFF EXPLORE 2024 Announced

SIFF EXPLORE of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) announced today the top 50 shortlist, which covers a diverse range of genres. These works include 24 drama films, 13 animated films, and 13 documentaries and experimental works.

This session of SIFF EXPLORE has garnered over 1,300 entries from more than 70 countries and regions, which are richer, more diversified and more exploratory works from more younger filmmakers. After rigorous selection by professional and experienced selectors, the 50 shortlisted works emerged. Among these, 39 are remarkable local films highlighting new Chinese cinematic talent, while 11 are outstanding works overseas from countries such as France, Indonesia, the UK, and Belgium, reflecting the significance of this section in multicultural exchange and mutual learning.

The journey towards the SIFF dream continues, and the final selection of 20 films from this year’s SIFF EXPLORE is highly anticipated. Currently, the “50 to 20” evaluation process has been initiated among a mentor panel comprising renowned cinematographer Zhao Xiaoding, British screenwriter and director Arthur Jones, young director Wu Lang, animation director Momo Wang, and screenwriter Jia Jiawei. They have also nominated their top picks for individual honors. The mentors will uphold the core principle of encouraging originality, with comprehensive evaluations for each film in terms of its fulfillment and innovation based on multiple dimensions, including storytelling, audiovisual language, artistic aesthetics, and production techniques, to foster both innovation exploration and future growth potential.

Series of events of SIFF EXPLORE will be held from June 20 to 22, including an award ceremony, mentor forums, exploration classes, and screening salons. Marking the fifth anniversary of this section, a special retrospective exhibition of outstanding works from previous editions has been planned, which will offer a review and examination of its growth over the years. Additionally, Communication University of China has been specially invited to participate in the section’s touring exhibition with excellent student works, to jointly promote the growth of new talents.

Heartfelt thanks to the exclusive educational support unit, Shanghai Vancouver Film School, the official partner, Bilibili Movies, and the School of Theatre, Film, and Television of Communication University of China for their support of the section’s related activities. The 50 shortlisted works, which have been authorized by their creators and comply with platform-based screening requirements, will be streamed online on Bilibili Movies, allowing more outstanding young creators to show their talents.

“To envision the future in five minutes on a more exciting exploring journey”. This June in Shanghai, we look forward to meeting those who have always stayed true to their dreams!

Established in 2019, SIFF EXPLORE is an important initiative to improve the cultivation of new talents and create a progressive incubation system for new talents. Based on mini-shot films of less than 5 minutes (including 5 minutes), the aim of this section is to establish a long-term mechanism for “discovering new talents and tapping new works” through recruitment, promotion, tracking and training, so as to encourage young creative talents to bravely explore and boldly create, and pave the first step for them toward feature film creation. At the same time, it will take advantage of the platform, give full play to the platform effect, integrate social resources, and promote the building of the talent pool, to cultivate and recommend new talents for the future development of the film industry.