The 27th SIFF Releases Official Promotional Film

This year marks a historic moment - the 130th anniversary of world cinema and the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema. As the cradle of Chinese film, Shanghai has archived a century of Chinese cinematic journey and actively shaped the evolution of global film culture.

Centered on the theme “City of Film: Where Every Frame Captures Life Stories”, this year’s SIFF promotional film explores the city’s innate cinematic DNA - where film is not just on the screen but woven into the fabric of urban daily life.

In Shanghai, cinema exists beyond theaters - it lives in every corner of the city and in the rhythms of its people.

The film opens with young actress Wen Qi, fresh off an overnight shoot, clutching a movie ticket as she heads to the cinema. Stepping off set, her gaze is drawn to two crew members carrying a giant “picture frame” through the streets. As they move, the frame becomes a roaming viewfinder, capturing snapshots of Shanghai’s iconic landmarks and fleeting urban moments.

These flowing fragments of a century’s cinematic light and shadow are historical annotations for Shanghai - the City of Film - and chronicles of the evolution of a modern metropolis as well.

Within a single day, the crew’s “viewfinder” picture frame gradually transforms: first into a screen-like frame recording urban moments, then ultimately into the grand silver screen of a movie theater. This metamorphosis mirrors cinema’s profound connection with life - from everyday observation to visual storytelling, and finally to collective movie-going. Film emerges from life, and in turn illuminates life. In the final scene, the audience gathers to watch Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore’s classic Cinema Paradiso.

When the silver screen gaze meets the audience’s eyes - shattering the fourth wall in this rendezvous of light and shadow - it reaffirms that life itself is a film that never fades to black.