21st SIFFORUM

Recent guest speakers include Ang Lee, Cristian Mungiu, Emir Kusturica, Oliver Stone, Luc Besson, Danny Boyle, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Tom Hopper, John Woo, Wong Kar-wai, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Feng Xiaogang, Tsui Hark, Johnnie To, Jiang Wen, Peter Chan, Jackie Chan, Jia Zhangke, Wang Xiaoshuai, Ning Hao, Xu Zheng, Jeffery Katzenberg, Bill Kong, Ren Zhonglun, Yu Dong, Zeng Maojun, Wang Changtian, Ye Ning, Yu Yongfu, Gong Yu and top executives from international film organizations. 

CHINESE FILMS IN THE NEW ERA

Time: 10:00-12:00 

Date: Sunday, June 17th 

Venue: Jin Jue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

As its first-quarter box office figures in 2018 surpassing North America, China is on track to become the largest film market in the world, and contributing to that growth is mainly the domestic hits. More and more decent and compelling content are being produced by local studios, and the expansion of moviegoing habit in the third and fourth tier cities would also boost the production of films of better quality and greater diversity. What would the industry decision makers reflect upon this unprecedented “golden age”?

Moderator 

YIN Hong | Professor, Tsinghua University; Vice-chairman, China Literature and Art Critics Association; Vice-chairman, Beijing Film Association

Guest Speakers 

FAN Luyuan | Alibaba Partner & SVP; Alibaba Digital Media SVP;  Alibaba Pictures Chairman & CEO; Damai CEO 

JIANG Ping | General Manager of China Film Co., Ltd.; National Class-A Director 

REN Zhonglun | Chairman, Shanghai Film Group Co., Ltd.; President, Shanghai Film Studios

WANG Changtian | Chairman of Enlight Media 

James Wang | Co-Founder, Vice Chairman and CEO of Huayi Brothers Media Corporation

YU Dong | Founder, Chairman and President of Bona Film Group Company Limited 

INDUSTRIALIZATION OF CHINESE CINEMA

Time: 14:00-16:00 

Date: Sunday, June 17th 

Venue: Jin Jue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

In this forum, we look to discuss how Chinese film industry could catch up in terms of technology, craftsmanship, talents, business model, project management, etc., thus adopting the most effective and innovative ways of filmmaking. Invited panelists include talents who have made films of both high production value and good artistic quality, as well as industry executives who have involved in quite a few Chinese tent-pole films and been long committed to the cause of development in China’s cultural and entertainment sectors.

Moderator 

Jonah Greenberg | Salty Pictures CEO

Guest Speakers 

Session One 

Ellen R. Eliasoph | President & CEO of Perfect Village Entertainment 

Jerry Li | SVP, Alibaba Pictures; President, Tao Piao Piao

LIU Hongtao | Chairman, Fun Age Pictures 

Jerry Ye | VP and Board Member of Huayi Brothers Media Group; CEO of Huayi Brothers Pictures

Session Two 

Frant Guo | Director & Screenwriter of THE WANDERING EARTH 

HAN Yan | Director & Screenwriter of ANIMAL WORLD 

Ted Schilowitz | Futurist, Paramount Pictures 

WU Qian | Alibaba Pictures VP; Alifish President

Co-organizer: Tao Piao Piao

GOLDEN GOBLET MASTER CLASS: FILMMAKING WITH JIANG WEN

Time: 10:00-12:00 

Date: Monday, June 18th 

Venue: Jin Jue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

Moving between art house cinema and blockbuster fantasy, actor-director Jiang Wen has invariably been making films that are applauded tour de force. Join him on this master class if you ever wonder how the auteur has delivered the signature Jiang Wen style: the surplus of romance, the melancholy gilded with wildness, and the social critiques veiled by freewheeling fun.

Guest Speakers 

JIANG Wen | Jury President, 21st Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet Awards (Main Competition) 

LI Fei | Screenwriter 

PENG Yuyan | Actor 

SUN Yue | Screenwriter 

XIE Zhengyu | Director of Photography 

XU Qing | Actress 

ZHOU Yun | Actress

THE BELT AND ROAD FILM CULTURE ROUNDTABLE TALK

Time: 14:00-16:00 

Date: Monday, June 18th 

Venue: JinJue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

Panel 1: The Prospect and Future of The Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance

The Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance is composed of different film festivals and institutions from countries that have profound film histories and cultures. How can the alliance members enhance their current cooperation (screening films, market promotion)? What are other possible ways of cooperation? How to regularize the cooperation? In Panel 1, representatives from alliance members will discuss the future development of The Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance.

Moderator 

China | SHI Chuan | Deputy Head of Shanghai Film Association; Professor of Shanghai Theatre Academy

Guest Speakers 

China | FU Wenxia | Managing Director, Shanghai International Film Festival 

India | Smriti Kiran | Creative Director, Mumbai Film Festival 

Ireland | Carla Mooney | Founder/Director, Silk Road International Film Festival 

Netherlands | Marten Rabarts | Head Eye International, Eye Film Institute Netherlands 

Russia | Kirill Razlogov | Programming Director, Moscow International Film Festival 

United States | Stephen Cremin | Deputy Director, New York Asian Film Festival

Panel 2: How to Enhance the Cooperation through Film Festival Programming?

With the vast development of emerging film festivals, regional cooperation becomes the cornerstone of bridging different streams in film industry. How can The Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance develop a system of recommending films to each other? Is it possible to regularize it as part of each festival’s programming? How can we possibly integrate some new trends in programming into our film festivals’ cultural exchange program? In Panel 2, representatives will share relevant experiences of regional cooperation, and will discuss new possibilities of festival programming in film cultural exchange.

Moderator 

China | SHI Chuan | Deputy Head of Shanghai Film Association; Professor of Shanghai Theatre Academy

Guest Speakers 

Egypt | Ahmed Shawky | Assistant Artistic Director, Cairo International Film Festival 

Kazakhstan | Diana Ashimova | Program Director, Eurasia International Film Festival 

Philippines | Ed Lejano | Director, Quezon City International Film Festival 

Poland | Stefan Laudyn | Director, Warsaw Film Festival 

Romania | Tudor Giurgiu | Festival President, Transilvania International Film Festival

Panel 3: How to bring domestic film out? 

Film is both an indispensable part of local people’s cultural life and an important medium for international cultural exchanges. Apart from the existing approaches of foreign location, foreign actors, and international financiers, what other ways of co-production and film culture exchange can we explore? What are each country’s channels of bringing their films out? What are some successful experiences of holding cultural exchange events abroad to share? In panel 3, representatives will discuss the specific strategies of promoting domestic films at an international level.

Moderator 

China | SHI Chuan | Deputy Head of Shanghai Film Association; Professor of Shanghai Theatre Academy

Guest Speakers 

Georgia | David Vashadze | Head of International Relations Department, Georgian National Film Center 

Latvia | DitaRietuma | Director, National Film Centre of Latvia 

Malaysia | Joanne Goh | Founder/Chairperson, Malaysia International Film Festival 

New Zealand | Annabelle Sheehan | CEO, New Zealand Film Commission 

Ukraine | Victoria Yarmoshchuk | CEO, Ukrainian Motion Picture Association

THE REFORM AND OPENING UP OF CHINESE FILMS

Time: 10:00-12:00 

Date: Tuesday, June 19th 

Venue: Jin Jue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

Based on the organization of China Film Association, the Research Report on Chinese Film Industry Research Report is the bluebook composed by domestic film experts. The report prejudges the trends and publishes the strategic researches in every links of the film industry including policy, investment & financing, production technology, cinema construction, box office, distribution, audience analysis and other aspects. The report has been published annually for twelve years and is regarded by the industry as an authoritative research report. The forum this year offers an international edition of the report for the first time and in the meantime invites a group of distinguished domestic filmmakers to look into the future of Chinese film focusing on institutional reform and opening up to the world.

Moderators 

WANG Dan | Director of Film Industry Research Division, China Film Association; Chief Editor of THE RESEARCH REPORT ON CHINESE FILM INDUSTRY 

ZHAO Ningyu | Professor, Beijing Film Academy

Guest Speakers 

Michael C. Ellis | President of Asia Pacific 

William Feng | MPA Head of Greater China and Vice President of Asia Pacific 

Tiger Guan | Director 

HUANG Jianxin | Producer, Director 

LIU Fan| Professor, Film and Television Department, Chinese National Academy of Arts 

LIU Jia | Film Scholar, Visiting Professor, Beijing Film Academy 

ZHANG Hong | Executive President, China Film Association 

ZHENG Dasheng | Director

Co-organizer: China Film Association

EMERGING FILMMAKERS PANEL: THE GOOD, THE FLEDGLING, AND THE AUDACIOUS

Time: 14:00-15:30 

Date: Tuesday, June 19th 

Venue: Jin Jue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

Since 2017, we have borne witness to the sustained rise of China’s creative filmmaking talent, and the outstanding commercial and critical plaudits they achieved both at home and abroad have served as testaments to China’s thriving filmmaking scene. How did they bring to the screen stories that were driven by authentic voice, pushing creative boundaries, and resonating deeply with audience? How could we foster excellence in cinema and promote diversity of Chinese culture by supporting and encouraging films made by the fledgling but audacious, who represent the present and anticipate the future of cinema.

Moderator 

TENG Jingshu | Producer, Film Critic, Founder of Teng Jingshu Movie Club

Guest Speakers 

SU Lun | Director, Screenwriter of HOW LONG WILL I LOVE YOU 

WEI Shujun | Director of ON THE BORDER 

WEN Muye | Director and Screenwriter of DYING TO SURVIVE 

YOU Xiaoying | Screenwriter of LOVE EDUCATION 

YIN Fang | Actor of OPERATION RED SEA

ANIMATION: THE BREAKTHROUGH OF CROSS-CULTURAL FILM COOPERATION?

Time: 16:00-17:30 

Date: Tuesday, June 19th 

Venue: Jin Jue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

Cultural barriers and market differences have always been the main problems facing cross-cultural film production. With the development of technology, it doesn’t cost much now for animators to deliver films with different mouth movements, enabling multiple re-voiced versions that all appear to be original and local, hence making the plots and emotions more culturally-specific across territories. Can we assume that animation will make use of this “natural” advantage and become the breakthrough of cross-cultural film cooperation? And what would be the Chinese animation like that is "made for the world"?

Moderator 

Kiefer Liu | Director; Producer; President, Golden Shore Films

Guest Speakers 

Jacques-Rémy Girerd | French Animator, Jury President of the 21st Golden Goblet Award for Animation 

Anthony Lamolinara | Visual Effect Director, TOY STORY; Director, ONCE UPON A TIME 

Igor Storchak | Distribution CEO & Producer, Film.UA Group 

SunaoKatabuchi | Japanese Animator, Jury Member of the 21st Golden Goblet Award for Animation 

ZHOU Shengwei | Director of SHE, Nominee of the 21st Golden Goblet Award for Animation

THE BELT AND ROAD FILMMAKER SALON: SMALL SCREEN, BIG WORLD

Time: 10:00-12:00 

Date: Wednesday, June 20th 

Venue: Jin Jue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

Cinema is an organic carrier of cultural exchanges, as well as a sound approach for audiences around the world to travel beyond national boundaries and reach each other. This forum invites the exhibitors of the Belt and Road Film Week to share their stories with films, their puzzles and practices in film creation, and how they managed to realize cultural exchanges through the small screen. Besides, they will introduce their pondering and reflection obtained from the communication with Chinese filmmakers and audience, and look forward to the future of cross-national interaction and collaboration.

Moderator 

Andrew Liang | Ph.D in Cinema Studies; CCTV-6 Host; Actor

Guest Speakers 

China | NAI An | Producer 

Egypt | Ahmed Amer | Director, Scriptwriter 

Estonia | SulevKeedus | Director, Scriptwriter 

Georgia | Zaza Khalvashi | Director, Scriptwriter 

Georgia | Mariska Diasamidze | Actress 

Italy | Laura Bispuri | Director, Scriptwriter 

Poland | Piotr Domalewski | Director, Scriptwriter

NEW APPROACHES FOR GREATER DIVERSITY OF CHINESE CINEMA

Time: 10:00-12:00 

Date: Thursday, June 21st 

Venue: Jin Jue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

There has existed a gulf between world cinema’s auteur sector and the exposure of those films to Chinese audience. Now new strategies of distribution and exhibition are changing this: from the art cinema alliance to the booming Event Cinema experience; from premium VOD offerings to cinema-on-demand attempts, films from outside the mainstream are being channeled to where there is demand. As China’s art cinema circuit is on a mission to expand diversity, we will look at the current challenges that film professionals face to reach the right audience for their films, or even expand it. How are streaming platforms impacting film production? Are platforms and exhibitors direct competitors or is there room for cooperation? And what are the most effective strategies to enhance the circulation, visibility and awareness of auteur films?

Moderator 

Andrew Liang | Ph.D in Cinema Studies; CCTV-6 Host; Actor

Keynote Speaker 

SUN Xianghui | Director of China Film Archive; President of China Film Art Research Centre

Panelists 

JIN Hui | Director of Shanghai Art Film Federation 

Matthew Liu | VP, Youku; Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group 

LIU Yiguang | Director of R&D Department, Administration Center of Digital Film Content 

Felix Wu Feiyue| CEO of Shanghai Element Networking Technology Co., Ltd.; Director 

YANG Xianghua | Senior Vice President of iQIYI

OPERA FILM PANEL

Time: 10:00-12:00 

Date: Friday, June 22nd 

Venue: JinJue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

The Forum is designed to explore how the art of Chinese Opera could creatively and innovatively communicates from stage to screen in the new era, and to raise people’s awareness of Chinese culture; how to seize the new opportunities brought about by rapidly growing film technologies to the inheritence of traditional operas, and to overcome potential challenges. By creating a brand of Shanghai Opera Film, it is hoped that Chinese Opera could grow out the wings for modern communications, fly across the world, fly into every household, and display enormous glamor...

Moderators 

LIANG Hongjun | President of Shanghai Yue Opera Group 

SHAN Yuejin | President of Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company; Production Manager of 3D Peking Opera Movie “Cao Cao and Yang Xiu” 

SHEN Weimin | Vice President of Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas; Vice-Chairman and Secretary-General of Shanghai Dramatists Society

Guest Speakers 

FANG Yafen | National First-class Actress; Leading artist Starring 3D Yue Opera Movie “THE LOVE STORY IN THE WESTERN CHAMBER” 

GU Haohao | Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas President ; Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe President; National First-class Actress 

HU Xuehua | Director 

LI An | National First-class Actress ; Leading artist Starring 3D Kunqu Opera Movie “THE BELL TOLLS FOR A DYNASTY” 

QIAN Huili | Vice-president of Shanghai Yue Opera Group; National First-class Actress; Leading artist & Starring 3D Yue Opera Movie “THE LOVE STORY IN THE WESTERN CHAMBER” 

TENG Junjie | Chairman, Board of Supervisors, Shanghai Media Group; Chairman, Shanghai TV Artists Association; Member of China Writers\' Association; Member of China Film Directors\' Guild 

WANG Xiaoying | Writer 

XIA Weiliang | Distinguished Opera Film Director of SMG 

YAN Xingpeng | Famous performing artist of Peking Opera ; Leading artist & Starring 3D Peking Opera Movie “Cao Cao and Yang Xiu”

Co-organizers: Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas , Shanghai Theatre Association

A RENDEZ-VOUS WITH JESSE EISENBERG

Time: 10:00-11:00 

Date: Sunday, June 24th 

Venue: Jin Jue Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Shanghai

"Every character I play has to be the hero of his own story,the way we\'re all heroes of our ownlives.”     

 —— Jesse Eisenberg

The quick-witted man of contemporary cinema, Academy Award nominated actor and acclaimed playwright and author Jesse Eisenberg is one of the rarest of talents: both a magnetic screen presence and a risktaking writer whose literary voice reflects on life\'s absurdities with subversive humor, intelligence, imagination and empathy.

Come through to join for a conversation with Jesse who will illuminate his career juggling multifarious jobs.

Jesse Eisenberg is an Academy Award nominated actor and an acclaimed playwright and author.

Eisenberg’s film credits include “Roger Dodger,” “The Squid and the Whale,” “The Education of Charlie Banks,” “Adventureland,” “Zombieland,” “The Social Network,” “30 Minutes or Less,” “To Rome with Love,” “Now You See Me,” “The Double,” “Night Moves,” “The End of Tour,” “American Ultra,” “Louder Than Bombs,” “Batman v. Superman,” “Now You See Me 2,” “Café Society” and “Justice League.” 

Upcoming audiences will see Eisenberg star in “The Art of Self-Defense” and in “The Hummingbird Project.”

Eisenberg has written three plays, including “The Spoils,” which recently completed a box office record breaking West End run.

He also wrote and starred alongside Vanessa Redgrave in his play “The Revisionist,” and in 2011 he wrote and starred in the play “Asuncion” at the Cherry Lane Theatre, earning a Drama League nomination.

Born in New York, Eisenberg is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker magazine and the author of the collection, Bream Gives Me Hiccups, from Grove Press.