Celebrity star power lights up the red carpet for film festival’s gala night

By Joyce Xu

Film celebrities from home and abroad brought their star power to the red carpet of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival at Shanghai Grand Theater on Saturday (June 15), sharing with movie fans their latest film projects.

They were joined by film crews from around 30 new film productions who attended the star-studded show and the festival’s gala night.

Following the success of 2018 film “Operation Red Sea,” Hong Kong director Dante Lam is working on the action-packed military film “Operation Leviathan,” which is about a special operation of the Chinese navy in the deep sea.

Chinese mainland actor Huang Xuan, who plays the leading role in the film, said he and many actors had received a month of physical and diving training ahead of shooting.

Veteran filmmaker Wuershan and the cast of “Under One Person” also showed up on the red carpet. 

“Based on a popular comic work, the film is a blend of mythology and Chinese martial arts,” Wuershan said. 

Chinese mainland actress Ni Ni talked about her new role in Guan Hu’s romance film “A Man and A Woman.”

“The woman I depict in the film is not perfect, but she has the courage to accept all her imperfections and finally reconcile with herself,” Ni said. 

Heartthrob Wang Junkai stars in the heartwarming film “Stand by Me,” to be nationally released on July 12. 

The film tells the story of two orphan brothers, who support each other and establish a small but warm family.

“It is a movie full of love and hope,” Wang said. 

At the gala, French filmmaker Tran Anh Hung, jury president of the Main Competition of the Golden Goblet Awards, noted that a good movie helps people to better understand themselves and enrich their emotional world.

In the next few days, Tran and other jury members will discuss the 14 nominated films in the category and select the best of them. 

Veteran Hong Kong filmmaker Stanley Tong brought to the film fest his latest offering, “A Legend,” a fantasy epic and sequel to the 2005 box office hit "The Myth.”

Tong encouraged young filmmakers to bravely pursue their dreams and create their own legends of cinema.

The opening film of the night was local director Zheng Dasheng’s “Red Radio Over Shanghai,” which combines dance drama and cinema.

The festival will run till June 23. In addition to the Golden Goblet Awards film competition, it will also present diverse programs such as the film panorama, film forum, SIFF project and film market.