Jury for 20th Shanghai International Film Festival Asian New Talent Award Announced

International Jury for Asian New Talent Award

President: WANG Xiaoshuai (China, Director)

Juries: Hsiao-chuan Chang (China Taiwan, Actor)

           DONG Jinsong (China, Cinematographer)

           TAN Chui Mui (Malaysia, Director)

           Michael J. Werner (America, Publisher &Producer) 

President: WANG Xiaoshuai (China, Director)

WANG Xiaoshuai graduated from Beijing Film Academy’s Directing Department in 1989. His film, Shanghai Dreams (2005), won the Prix du Jury (Jury Prize) at the Cannes Film Festival. In the same year, Shanghai Dreams was chosen as the opening film of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in New Delhi. In 2008, his In Love We Trust won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival. Chongqing Blues (2010) was selected by Cannes a second time to compete for the Golden Palm Award. Red Amnesia (2014) was selected for the main competition of the 71st Venice International Film Festival.

Juries:Hsiao-chuan Chang (Taiwan, China, Actor)

Hsiao-chuan Chang is a new generation Taiwanese actor. He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor and Best New Perfomer for his role in Eternal Summer at the 43rd Golden Horse Award, and won the Best Actor for his role in Girlfriend, Boyfriend at the 14th Taipei Film Festival. He starred in Murmur of the Hearts, a 2014 film directed by Sylvia Chang, and Love Contractually, a 2015 romantic comedy.

DONG Jinsong (China, Cinematographer)

DONG’s cinematographic magnum opus, Black Coal, Thin Ice, won the Golden Bear at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival and the 8th Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Achievement in Cinematography.  This film was also shortlisted for the 51st Golden Horse Award for Best Cinematography. Night Train in 2007 was shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard section at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, and also won the Best Cinematography at the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival. Sun Spot was nominated for the Golden Tiger Award at the 2010 International Film Festival Rotterdam. In 2011, People Mountain People Sea won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. The Donor won the New Currents Award at the 21st Busan International Film Festival in 2016.

TAN Chui Mui (Malaysia, Director)

TAN Chui Mui’s short film, A TREE IN TANJUNG MALIM (2004), won a Principal Award at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen in 2005. Since then, she has emerged as one of the most closely watched young filmmakers on the international film festival scene. She has won prestigious awards in major international film festivals and has also been invited to the Cannes Cinéfondation Residency. Her first full-length feature film LOVE CONQUERS ALL (2006) won multiple new director’s awards at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and Busan International Film Festival. Her work is characterized by a poetic sensibility borne out of her small-town upbringing and a keen eye for stories based on personal growth and redemption. TAN has also been a jury for major festivals, including Rotterdam, Busan, Clermont-Ferrand, and so forth. In 2015, TAN Chui Mui founded Next New Wave, an initiative to nurture young filmmakers in Malaysia.

Michael J. Werner (America, Consultant &Producer)

Michael is a Hong Kong-based, well known veteran of the international film industry with more than 35 years experience in international film sales, marketing, production and consulting, specializing in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2006 he became a member of Hollywood’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

He started his industry career in LA, and he joined 20th Century Fox International as the co-head of the Asia/Pacific Region for Theatrical Distribution handling the move of the company into distributing its films in China. Later he joined Fortissimo Film and quartered in Hong Kong, devoting himself to seeking new local directors in Asia. In highlighting and bringing specialized films to the world stage, Fortissimo and Werner helped to establish the ascendancy of Asian cinema. Over the years Werner served as an executive producer, a co-producer or an associate producer on a number of high profile independent films from Asia and around the globe including THE GRANDMASTER by WONG Kar Wai, INVISIBLE WAVES by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, NORWEGIAN WOOD by TRAN Anh Hung, SPRINGTIME IN A SMALL TOWN by TIAN Zhuangzhuang. His achievements in film industry won many international awards for him. As a frequent guest speaker at panels, film financing events and seminars, Werner has also served on numerous advisory boards in Asia.