17th SIFF to open on June 14 with glamorous red carpet procession

The 17th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) will open on Saturday night (June 14) in Shanghai Grand Theatre. Hundreds of Chinese and overseas film celebrities will walk the red carpet at the opening ceremony, creating an oriental Oscar night with all the glitz and glamor of Shanghai. 

SIFF will welcome all the attending film celebrities, including Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Hayden Christensen, John Paul Cusack, Jean Jacques Annaud, Isao Yukisada, Dae-woo Kim, Song Hye Kyo, Song Seung Heon, Rain, John Woo, Jiang Wen, Ning Hao, and Jing M.Guo.

Also attending will be casts and crews of Zhongkui-Snow, I Am Queen, Brotherhood of Blades, Tiny Times III, With or Without, The Crossing and Farewell to My Concubine (Peking Opera).

Through decades of brand building, SIFF has become one of the world\'s most highly regarded film festivals, with an influential role in promoting, marketing and distributing films. Its role is increasingly more valued given the rapid development of the Chinese film industry in recent years.

Increasing numbers of producers, directors and actors regard participation in SIFF as a significant chance to build their profile with Chinese audiences. 

The festival\'s two red carpet ceremonies, hailed by foreign media as the top opening and closing events in Asia, are deemed to be critical to promoting new films.

 Other Chinese film celebrities to walk the red carpet will include: Jackie Chan, Chen Kun, Joe Chen, Cheney Chen, Michelle Che, Ivy Chen, Shawn Dou, William Feng, Bea Hayden, Amber Kuo, Guo Tao, Gao Yuanyuan, Huang Bo, Jiang Wu, Kai Ko, Tony Leung, Crystal, Aarif Lee, Lin Chi-ling, Qin Hao, Stchingowa, Vivian Wu, Nicholas Tse, Xu Zheng, Xia Yu, Yan Ni, Annie Shizuka Inou, Yang Zishan, Wallace Chung, Winston Chao, Joseph Cheng, Gillian Chung, and Chang Chen. 

Stars in the opening film Stage Sisters, Xie Fang and Cao Yindi, and representatives of winners of the Golden Goblet Award and Asian New Talent Award will also walk the red carpet.

Closing the procession will be the Jury Panel, consisting of Gong Li,

Sang-soo-Im, Shunji Iwai, Liu Jie, Peyman Moaadi, Sally Potter and Lone Scherfigthe, who represent the spirit and authority of SIFF.