SIFF PROJECT | Award Winners of SIFF PROJECT 2026 Unveiled

On June 16, the award winners of SIFF PROJECT at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) were unveiled, marking the successful conclusion of this four-day event.

Hosted in Shanghai from June 13 to 16, SIFF PROJECT featured public presentations for 19 selected projects, which drew a large turnout of industry professionals. Many projects had already been fully booked for one-on-one meetings before the official round of negotiations kicked off, while some on-site guests requested additional sessions to connect with creators. A total of 184 domestic and international production, investment and distribution companies took part in the event through 465 project negotiation meetings.

Joan Chen (actress, director, writer), Ma Yili (actress) and Sam Quah (director, screenwriter) formed this year’s SIFF PROJECT Committee and participated throughout the four-day event.

Joan Chen (actress, director, writer)

During the public presentations, the committee delivered professional evaluations on competing projects from multiple dimensions, including artistic value, originality and market potential. They held in-depth exchanges with project representatives and provided highly valuable guidance.

The three committee members openly expressed their appreciation for several projects. Joan Chen, President of SIFF PROJECT Committee this year, commented that There Will Be Snow boasts high artistic maturity and a distinctive cinematic texture. Ma Yili was deeply moved by the resilient, uplifting vitality embodied by the protagonist in A Thousand Stars in the Galactic Night. Sam Quah spoke highly of the thematic conception, cinematography and performances of Two Time Zones. All of them unanimously praised A Room of Her Own, commending its smooth narrative, sincere emotions and touching storytelling.

Ma Yili (actress)

After deliberation by the committee, winners of five official honors, Best Genre Project, Annual Focus, Best Talent Project, Most Creative Project and Best WIP Project, were determined. Separately, during this year’s selection process, the committee singled out one title for the honor of Special Jury Mention, designed to offer extra recognition to outstanding projects.

Sam Quah (director, screenwriter)

Official Award Winners

Annual Focus

Only the Moon Knows

Best Talent Project

A Room of Her Own

Best Genre Project

Murder Television

Most Creative Project

MUM

Best WIP Project

There Will Be Snow

Special Jury Mention

Don’ t Move, Mom!

This year, SIFF PROJECT has secured eight partner companies, which will supply funding and production resources to back and foster the further development of selected film projects.

From all shortlisted non-WIP projects, FunAge Pictures and Damai Entertainment each selected one work and granted a cash prize of RMB 150,000 to the chosen project. Phenom Films picked two entries from the shortlisted WIP projects and provide full technical support for each winning title. Mofei Pictures singled out one WIP project and offer complete post-production sound design services for it. Aputure selected one non-WIP project to supply lighting gear and on-set support for its shooting phase. INBETWEEN chose three WIP projects and deliver custom poster and title design packages. China Film Group Co., Ltd. offered support to one non-WIP project with filming location resources.

This year, SIFF PROJECT has also formed an exclusive partnership with official hotel partner Regent Hotels & Resorts to launch the Regent Presents “Cinematic Escapes” Special Focus Award. Three recipients were selected from official award winners of SIFF PROJECT, each awarded 600,000 IHG One Rewards points. This award spotlights emerging directors and visual storytellers, safeguards authentic creative vision, empowers original concepts to evolve from scripts to finished films, and bears witness the birth of the next generation of cinematic talent.

This diverse array of support packages delivers all-round backing for the incubation, development and production of film projects.

Official Partner Award Winners

Phenom Films Award

Ragtag

Wintertime in a Small Town

Mofei Pictures Creative Sound’s Choice

Grow Up

Aputure Award

Vestiges

INBETWEEN Award

Outside the Room of My Own

A Thousand Stars in the Galactic Night 

There Will Be Snow 

China Film Award

Shortcut to Life

Regent Presents “Cinematic Escapes” Special Focus Award

Murder Television

Only the Moon Knows

MUM

Damai Entertainment Hina Award

This Timeworn Land

FunAge “Happy Together” Award

A Room of Her Own

“SIFF PROJECT nurtures emerging talent and ignites fresh creative dreams,” said Tong Ying, Deputy Managing Director of Shanghai International Film & TV Events Center. For years, SIFF has upheld the philosophy centering around “Mutual Learning, Asia, Chinese Film, and New Talents”. This stance has helped the festival carve out distinct core strengths, with talent cultivation standing as its most defining hallmark and core value. By continuously refining and upgrading its operational frameworks, SIFF has built a three-pronged talent development system driven by industry events, professional awards and overseas touring showcases. The 2026 edition will further empower new creative voices to evolve into mainstays of the industry. As a cornerstone component of this ecosystem, SIFF PROJECT connects every link of the creative pipeline, fosters young filmmakers, and cultivates a healthy cycle spanning project incubation to industry matching.

Moving forward, SIFF PROJECT will continue to serve as a launchpad where bold ideas meet industry know-how, turning promising scripts into compelling films, and bringing Shanghai’s storytelling to the world.