Golden Goblet Jurors Seek New Ideas, Sincerity and Human Insight from Filmmakers

Jurors from four of the Golden Goblet Awards sections of the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival -- Asian New Talent, Short Film, Animation, and Documentary -- discussed their criteria at the second jury meeting on Sunday, June 14.

The jury for Asian New Talent, chaired by Singaporean director Anthony Chen, includes Indonesian director Kamila Andini, Chinese director Liu Jiayin, Kazakhstan director Farkhat Sharipov and Chinese actress Wen Qi.

Anthony Chen, whose film Ilo Ilo won an award at Cannes, pointed out that when he was evaluating filmmakers, he would not judge them based on age or experience.

"What I really value is whether a creator is truly sincere and willing to adopt new lenses and ideas to break conventions," he emphasized. "New talents often demonstrate a vigorous and passionate creative attitude."

Fully agreeing with this view, Wen Qi shared her fondness for new things and her preference for films with distinct personal styles. Over the past few days, she had watched many works from this year's lineup that feature unique elements and convey distinct emotions.

Farkhat Sharipov and Liu Jiayin elaborated on the difficulties that young filmmakers may encounter in the initial stages of their careers, and offered their own advice.

"For young creators, the early stages of their careers are all about finding direction, a period during which they inevitably experience confusion and uncertainty," Farhart noted.

Liu Jiayin added, "At such times, they face not external conflicts but internal pressure, and execution becomes particularly important."

Further perspectives were also shared by the Short Film jury, led by acclaimed Portuguese director João Salaviza and including fellow directors Lena von Döhren from Germany and Qiu Sheng from China.

Salaviza regarded short film as a pure form of expression, and pointed out that authentic emotion is a core characteristic fundamental to the genre.

Drawing on her dual experience as a director and illustrator, von Döhren said she values how effectively short films can evoke emotion and tell stories.

Development trends in the Chinese animation industry were canvassed by that category’s jury, chaired by UK director Will Becher, alongside Indian director Gitanjali Rao and Chinese filmmaker Yu Shui.

"From a global perspective, an increasing number of Chinese animated works have appeared in many fields, including the Oscar selection process," Becher said in praising the achievements of Chinese animation. "This is undoubtedly remarkable and exciting," he said.

With limited opportunities to encounter Chinese animated works in the UK, he hopes to see them receive wider releases at major cinemas in the future.

Director Yu, who previously earned both critical acclaim and box office success with Nobody, shared his thoughts on the current state of the animated film industry. He believes audiences are highly discerning when it comes to quality, and only by putting significant effort into filmmaking can creators earn recognition from the market.

Jurors for the Documentary category -- Geeta Gandbhir, Carla Gutierrez and Liu Qing -- shared their insights on how documentaries portray reality and common human experiences.

"Through documentaries, we can connect with each other, understand each other's cultures, and listen to each other's stories," said Gandbhir. "There is a core principle for documentary filmmaking: to reveal humanity and tell compelling stories."

Gutierrez said that jurors’ criteria this time will not favor any particular genre, but rather focus on works that genuinely convey authentic emotions and resonate with audiences.