Star-Studded Opening Night for SIFF

The curtain went up last night on the 14th Shanghai International Film Festival with a star-studded red carpet, a grand opening ceremony and awards handed out for industry contributions.

Despite the rain, over 300 international and local celebrities paraded along the red carpet outside Shanghai Grand Theater.

The guests included media giant Rupert Murdoch and his wife Wendi Deng, Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon, American acting heartthrob Matt Dillon, Japanese film director Shunji Iwai, Chinese actress Li Bingbing, Miss World Zhang Zilin and the newly married star couple Deng Chao and Sun Li.

Murdoch said it was his first time attending the Shanghai International Film Festival.

"I am very proud of my wife and the film (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) she produced." he said.

Actress Li Bingbing was the leading actress in Deng\'s film, an epic tale of the true bonds of friendship and family shared by two women. Wearing an elegant, long black evening dress, Li told local fans that she had to speak English through most of the film and it was quite challenging.

Matt Dillon was thrilled to get such a warm welcome from local people. He yelled "Shanghai International Film Festival, I\'m coming" in Chinese.

The grand opening also attracted Hollywood-based Hong Kong China director John Woo, Thai actors Pong and Bie and Taiwan China model as well as actress Lin Zhiling.

This year\'s jury panel for the Golden Goblet Award is headed by Barry Levinson, Oscar-winning director of Rain Man. It also includes British film maker and scriptwriter Christopher Hampton, Japanese director Sai Yoichi, Vietnam-born French director Tran Anh Hung, Spanish actress Paz Vega, Chinese film maker Wang Quan\'an and Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu.

Susan Sarandon was surprised to receive the Outstanding Artistic Life Achievement Award during the opening ceremony. Sarandon said that she didn\'t expect to receive such a big honor on her first visit to China.

"Although I am a bad ping pong player, I have been to many ping pong clubs and bars in the States," she said. "I think playing ping pong with my new Chinese friends of the festival will be a very good excuse for me to come back to China."

The Award for Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Cinema went to successful commercial film director Feng Xiaogang. He said that, as a controversial Chinese film maker, the award was a big encouragement and recognition of his efforts for the film industry.