The 28th SIFF Technology Creation and Fabrication Unit Opening Ceremony and the Shanghai High-Tech Films and Televisions City Press Conference Held in Songjiang

On June 12, the opening ceremony of the Technology Creation and Fabrication Unit of the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), alongside the Shanghai High-tech Films and Televisions City press conference, was held in Songjiang

Zhao Jiaming, Member of the Standing Committee and Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, Fang Shizhong, Executive Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Director of the Shanghai Film Bureau, Wang Huajie, Secretary of the CPC Songjiang District Committee, Gong Bo, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the China Research Institute of Film Science & Technology, Cao Jun, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Secretary-General of China Film Association, as well as Huang Jianxin, Dean of the School of Film of Xiamen University, Chairman of the Beijing Film Association and renowned director, attended the event.

The Technology Creation and Fabrication Unit of the 28th SIFF Officially Launched

At the ceremony, officials and guests jointly launched the Unit, boosting technological innovation in China’s film industry and opening up new possibilities for the integration of film and technology.

Fang Shizhong, Executive Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Director of the Shanghai Film Bureau Delivered a Speech

Fang noted in his speech that Shanghai is building the Shanghai High-Tech Films and Televisions City with digital and intelligent technologies. The city is promoting deeper integration between film and technology to make itself a global film production center. He shared three key observations on the industry’s development. First, technology is essential to modern filmmaking. The sector needs to improve its industrial ecosystem and adopt advanced technologies, including AI and ultra-high definition. Second, new technologies bring new forms of cinematic aesthetics. The industry should encourage innovation while honoring the tradition. Third, technology comes with both benefits and risks. The industry should not prioritize technology above all else. Instead, it should apply intelligent technologies prudently and responsibly to produce high-quality films with thoughtful content, artistic merit and refined production. Fang welcomed filmmakers from around the world to create and fulfill their creative dreams in Shanghai.

Wang Huajie, Secretary of the CPC Songjiang District Committee Delivered a Speech

Wang stated that in accordance with the requirements of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, Songjiang is striving to build itself into a cluster for advanced manufacturing, a pioneer zone for new quality productive forces, a model modern new urban area, and a benchmark for comprehensive rural revitalization. Leveraging the innovative strengths of the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor, the talent resources of Songjiang University Town, and the profound cultural heritage of the iconic “Root of Shanghai” cultural brand, the Shanghai High-Tech Films and Televisions City has entered a new phase of development. The local film industry continues to expand, with an AI-driven innovation ecosystem taking shape. Technological empowerment has delivered initial results, and the integration of film with diverse business formats is accelerating.

Songjiang sincerely invites high-quality industrial resources, benchmark projects and outstanding talents to settle in the district, to jointly drive the high-quality development of the Shanghai High-Tech Films and Televisions City.

Cao Jun, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Secretary-General of China Film Association, Delivered a Speech

Cao Jun, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Secretary-General of China Film Association, delivered a speech on behalf of Deng Guanghui, Secretary of the Party Committee of China Film Association. Cao pointed out that the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period will be a critical stage for China’s film industry to seize the initiative in technological development. He put forward key directions for industrial progress. The industry should leverage technology to boost industrial momentum, upgrade creative workflows and optimize resource allocation with new technologies. It should deliver cultural value, foster new quality-productive forces in filmmaking, and enrich both film creation and audience viewing experiences. It should also expand the industrial ecosystem through the “film plus” model and follow cultural and legal norms to improve the copyright protection system. Cao introduced that the China Film Association has built professional exchange platforms through events such as the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival and the China Film Technology Forum. He concluded by calling on film practitioners to embrace technology, pursue artistic excellence, abide by industry regulations, and jointly promote the high-quality development of China’s film industry.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai High-Tech Films and Televisions City unveiled a series of innovative and tangible industrial achievements at the event. These outcomes outline its new development landscape featuring digital transformation, intelligent upgrading and full-industry coverage, injecting sustained and strong impetus into the high-quality growth of Shanghai’s film and television industry.

Zhao Huiying, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Songjiang District Committee, and Party Leadership Group Secretary and Director of the Songjiang District Culture and Tourism Commission, Officially Released the Full-Chain Digital and Intelligent Ecological Matrix for the Film Industry at Shanghai High-Tech Films and Televisions City

The newly launched full-chain digital and intelligent ecological matrix covers five professional digital and intelligent service platforms. They are the Shanghai International Short Drama Copyright Exchange Center, the AI Interactive Short Drama Creation Public Service Platform, Senyu SPACE MCN AI Full-chain Empowerment Platform, AIGC All-in-One Integrated Creative Platform, and the Huace Yangtze River Delta International Film and TV Center AIGC All-scenario Cultural Tourism and Film Empowerment Platform. These platforms serve five core industrial scenarios: copyright trading, interactive short drama production, content incubation, AI-powered creative production, and integrated film and cultural tourism development. Using cutting-edge digital technologies, the matrix reshapes the industrialized production model of the film and television sector, and further improves full-chain supporting services for the industry.

Chi Yue, Person in Charge of the SFC Haopu Smart Industrial Community, Launched the Community’s AI+ Digital Content Industry Innovation Platform

SFC Haopu unveiled the full ecological layout for its AI+ digital content industry. SFC’s in-house AIGC production brand debuted a lineup of high-quality AIGC short dramas, while the first batch of investment projects under the Haowen Film Technology Fund secured official signing and launch.

The community also entered formal partnerships with multiple institutions and enterprises, including KPS, the Institute of Language Sciences of Shanghai International Studies University, AltStory and Kuaizi. The parties will carry out joint research and cooperation focusing on data sets, language corpus development and AI agent research.

Shanghai Film Shooting Base is also tapping into its on-site shooting resources to develop new integrated film and tourism formats. It launched brand-new immersive offerings at the event, including the real-scene immersive experience A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains and the AI interactive theater New World: Golden Age. Through digital upgrading, the time-honored shooting base has achieved intelligent transformation, delivering highly interactive and immersive light and shadow cultural tourism experiences for visitors.

Cross-regional Industrial Cooperation Signing Deals

The event also witnessed multiple cross-regional industrial cooperation signing deals to bolster collaborative development of the film industry. Based on the cooperation mechanism between Songjiang and Huangpu Districts, SFC Haopu entered an industrial partnership with the Bund FTC. Both sides will pool resources in digital content production, AIGC technology application and online content creation, to advance joint content development, IP incubation, technological empowerment and coordinated industrial growth. Additionally, Shanghai TV and Film Paradise Co.,Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Anhui Film Group. The two parties will jointly carry out 4K restoration of classic films and innovative development of film and television IPs.

Chen Guo, Managing Director of Shanghai International Film & TV Events Center, Delivered a Keynote Sharing On Key “Film-technology Integration” Initiatives of the 28th SIFF

Chen introduced four major innovative highlights of this year’s festival. First, virtual reality films allow audiences to step into story scenarios, redefining the traditional viewing experience. Second, a special science film screening unit is launched for the first time, boosting the integrated development of film, technology and education. Third, the new “AI Backlot” experimental program explores innovative collaboration models between AI tools and creators. Fourth, the festival focuses on sci-fi films by presenting master creators’ production concepts, and officially confirms that the highly anticipated sci-fi blockbuster supervised by renowned director Huang Jianxin will serve as the festival’s closing film. These initiatives fully demonstrate the festival’s new explorations in empowering film development with technology and expanding the boundaries of cinematic art.

Huang Jianxin, Dean of the School of Film of Xiamen University, Chairman of the Beijing Film Association and Renowned Director, Unveiled the Closing Film of This Year’s SIFF

As a special guest, Huang Jianxin, Chairman of the Beijing Film Association and Renowned Director, presented his newly produced sci-fi film The Decisive Moment, which is set to screen as the closing title of the 28th SIFF. Huang shared his excitement about technological progress in filmmaking. He noted that technology stretches the boundaries of cinema, turns the impossible into reality, and transforms the audience’s experience from passive viewing to immersive engagement. He stressed that no matter how advanced film technology becomes, emotional resonance remains the core that touches audiences most. Huang expressed his hope that The Decisive Moment will inspire audiences to look up at the stars and pursue their dreams throughout the summer.

Live from the Opening Ceremony of the Technology Creation and Fabrication Unit and the Shanghai High-tech Films and Televisions City Press Conference

As one of the flagship events on the opening day of this year’s SIFF, the opening ceremony of the Technology Creation and Fabrication Unit and the Shanghai High-tech Films and Televisions City press conference mark continuous efforts by SIFF to promote the integrated development of film and technology. It also reflects the accelerated progress of Shanghai High-tech Films and Televisions City in building a full industrial-chain ecosystem that combines film and technology. Furthermore, the event highlights Shanghai’s breakthroughs in driving the digital and intelligent transformation of the film and television industry and building a global hub for film creation and production.

Over 300 guests attended the event, including representatives from the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, the Publicity Department of CPC Huangpu District Committee, cultural and tourism authorities of cities within the Yangtze River Delta G60 Cultural and Tourism Alliance, the Film Art Center of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Shanghai Radio, Film and Television Production Industry Association, Shanghai Online Audio-Visual Association, universities of Songjiang University Town, as well as institutions and enterprises across film, technology and other related fields. All attendees witnessed the official launch of SIFF’s new unit.

Live from the First SIFFORUM Session

Following the launch of the Technology Creation and Fabrication Unit, the first SIFFORUM session of this year kicked off on site. Centered on the theme “Smart Tech, Immersive Worlds, the Next Film Revolution”, the session featured in-depth discussions and professional exchanges among participants.