2024-06-21

SIFF PROJECT | 2024 SIFF PROJECT Honors Announced

On June 19, the SIFF PROJECT at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival concluded. Following the announcement of this year's recommended projects, the four-day event came to a successful end.

From June 16-19, SIFF PROJECT held public presentations for 18 projects, with all 34 shortlisted projects participating in pitch meetings. Many projects were fully booked during the reservation phase, with additional meetings added due to high demand. Over 150 production, investment, and distribution companies from both domestic and international markets participated, completing 661 project meetings and two rounds of "Work-in-Progress Project" screenings. The venue was packed, and during the public presentations, the juries openly expressed their appreciation for certain projects. Lu Chuan and Luca Liang praised COLD WATER, committing to help with financing and further development, with Lu Chuan immediately offering to invest in director Zhang Xinyang's project. Yao Chen expressed interest in starring in MEMORY RESONANCE. At the welcome reception and SIFF Young Filmmakers Night, over 200 filmmakers gathered, exchanging congratulations and best wishes.

Spotlight on Chinese Filmmakers' Projects

This year's SIFF PROJECT highlighted a batch of noteworthy projects from Chinese filmmakers, many making their debut on a domestic pitching platform. Among the selected projects, 23 were debut feature films, 8 were second features, and 3 were third features by their respective directors.

In the “New Talent Project” unit, A GIRL UNKNOWN won the Next Step Feature Script Workshop First Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. In the “Work-in-Progress Project” unit, screenwriter Lei Zhilong, known for his work on A COOL FISH, THE INSANITY, and HOME COMING, presented his directorial debut PARTY A. Dong Yue, director of THE LOOMING STORM, brought his latest project ALL BEINGS. In the “Co-production Project” unit, producer Shozo Ichiyama, who served as a jury member for the Asian New Talent unit and SIFF PROJECT at the 13th SIFF, presented THE CRESCENT MOON. In the “Work-in-Progress Project” unit, THE GOOD FAMILY, adapted from the novel GIRLS IN ADOLESCENCE, marked the first directorial effort of the original author, Qiu Wei.

Many "old friends" who have previously participated in SIFF competitions, screenings, and have won awards at SIFF returned this year with new projects. Chen Xiaoyu, who won the Best Screenplay Award in the Asian New Talent unit at the 2023 SIFF for GONE WITH THE BOAT, returned with her new project AWAKENING. STRANGER IN THE MOUNTAIN is a collaboration between cinematographers Wan Bo and Luo Pan, with Luo Pan having won the Best Cinematography Award at the 17th SIFF for THE SACRED ARROW. Director Wang Meng’s project Sunshine features Lv Xingchen as the producer, who won the Best Actress Award at the 14th SIFF for THE SUNNY SIDE.

Cultivating Outstanding Films and Witnessing Growth

The 2024 SIFF PROJECT features four units: "New Talent Project", "Co-production Project", "Pre-production Project" and “Work-in-Progress Project”, with a total of 34 projects shortlisted. The incubator camp, acting as the preparatory class for SIFF PROJECT, has successfully nurtured numerous projects. This year, six projects are from past participants of the incubator camp. Additionally, three projects that were previously shortlisted in the script phase are now presented in the "Work-in-Progress Project" unit, showcasing their latest developments to the industry. Many creators who were previously shortlisted in SIFF PROJECT have returned with new works. Notably, three films from past SIFF PROJECTs have been selected for this year’s competition and screening units at the Shanghai International Film Festival, making their world premieres.

Since its establishment in 2007, SIFF PROJECT has reached its 17th edition, witnessing the production of 98 projects. Among them, 76 have participated in various film festivals worldwide, 57 have been shortlisted in A-list international film festivals, and 38 have returned to compete and screen at the Shanghai International Film Festival. Additionally, 68 films have achieved domestic and international theatrical releases.

This year’s Golden Goblet Award Asian New Talent unit includes the competition entry FRIDAY, FUNFAIR (SIFF PROJECT 2023), which was previously shortlisted in the "Work-in-Progress Project" unit. The "Refreshing Chinese Cinema" unit features SUKHAVATI (SIFF PROJECT 2023) and A LAND BEHIND (SIFF PROJECT 2021), both previously shortlisted in SIFF PROJECT.

This year, three projects that were shortlisted in the script phase of SIFF PROJECT have returned to Shanghai, appearing in the "Work-in-Progress Project" unit to showcase their latest developments: COLD WATER directed by Zhang Xinyang was shortlisted in the "New Talent Project" unit of 2020 SIFF PROJECT; THE GULLIBLE DEER directed by Zhang Hongguang was shortlisted in the 2019 SIFF PROJECT; and HAPPINESS IN BETWEEN directed by Lan Tian was shortlisted in the "New Talent Project" unit of 2019 SIFF PROJECT.

Two SIFF PROJECTs have been released in domestic theaters this year: FISH UNDER THE ICE (2019 project) was released on May 23, 2024, and KARMA (2020 project) was released on June 7, 2024.

Broad Attention and Earnest Support from All Sectors

This year, the SIFF PROJECT saw collaboration from nine partners who provided funding and production services to support and encourage the continued development of selected projects. Among them, Mahua FunAge Pictures, Dirty Monkey Films, and Alibaba Pictures will each choose one project from all the non-WIP entries to receive a cash prize of 150,000 RMB.

Phenom Films, Mofei Pictures, and Image Forestt will select one project from the Work-in-Progress entries to offer post-production services, including color grading and sound production.

In addition to the traditional cash prizes and post-production honors, this year's SIFF PROJECT expanded its support to include poster design and filming equipment services, providing more comprehensive assistance to the selected projects:

The "Work-in-Progress Project" unit added a collaboration with INBETWEEN, which will provide poster design services for two projects. Additionally, this year saw new honors from Aputure and KO, which will select 1 project from all non-WIP entries to receive lighting equipment, cameras, and other filming equipment support.

Renowned director, screenwriter, and producer Lu Chuan, along with producer and supervisor Luca Liang, and actress and supervisor Yao Chen, comprised the annual recommenders for the SIFF Project. They participated in all four days of the event, offering feedback during the public presentations of the "New Talent Project" and "Work-in-Progress Project" categories. They also engaged with the teams behind the "Pre-production Project" and "Co-production Project" categories. After thorough discussions, they selected the winners for the four official honors: "Best Talent Project", "Most Creative Project", "Annual Focus", and "Best WIP Project". To further encourage outstanding projects, an additional honor, the "Juries' Choice," was awarded on-site to COLD WATER, a project that garnered unanimous support.

Chen Guo, Managing Director of the Shanghai International Film & TV Festivals, Co., Ltd., stated in her speech that SIFF PROJECT, as a vital part of the Shanghai International Film Festival's "6+1" talent development system, allows creators to complete their growth cycle in Shanghai. She said, "Over the years, SIFF PROJECT has not only focused on selecting projects but also optimized event design and provided professional services, ensuring comprehensive post-selection support for projects. We guide creators to understand the market with professional and rational thinking, introduce diverse resources to build a rich and varied value system, and better promote the landing of talent and works. The synergy between the training camp and SIFF PROJECT has been a key focus in recent years, further demonstrating SIFF's commitment to nurturing new talent and new works."

After thanking domestic and international producers, investors, distributors, and the three Juries' Choice members, Lu Chuan, Luca Liang, and Yao Chen, Chen Guo reiterated the project's slogan, "Good films start here," and invited the world to bring their best projects and works to SIFF: "We hope everyone will bring their best projects and works to the Shanghai International Film Festival first, to start, develop, and set sail from here!"

List of Honorees

Best Talent Project

A GIRL UNKNOWN