2019-01-18

SIFF PROJECT | 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival • SIFF PROJECT Calls for Entries!

The 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival • SIFF PROJECT will take place in Shanghai from June 16th to 18th, 2019. From January 1st, 2019, SIFF PROJECT starts calling for entries by global filmmakers. The finalists will be invited to participate in relevant events at the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival.

Born in 2007, SIFF PROJECT has been successfully held for 12 sessions so far. Witnessing 59 projects being made to movies, including some award-winning films in major film festivals, SIFF PROJECT has gradually earned its reputation and recognition in both home and abroad. As both an incubator of excellent works and an important platform for the industry to discover Chinese new talents, SIFF PROJECT is committed to gathering industry resources, supporting rising Chinese filmmakers, and promoting Sino-foreign cooperation. It has now gradually established five segments – SIFF Project Lab, New Talent Project, SIFF Project, Co-production Project, and Work in Progress Project, offering incubation, financing, and promotion services tailored to 30-40 projects at different stages.

The New Talent Project sub-unit was established in 2014 to facilitate Shanghai International Film Festival’s support for emerging Chinese filmmakers. Among the shortlisted projects, 10 will be selected into the sub-unit to participate in the red carpet event at the opening ceremony of SIFF, as well as presentations open to the entire industry and the media.

Photo of directors selected into 2018 SIFF PROJECT New Talent Project and Jury President XU Zheng at the red carpet event of SIFF Opening Ceremony

Founded in 2018, the Work in Progress Project sub-unit provides the projects under filming and post-production with corresponding assistance in production, domestic and international distribution and promotion at film festivals. The directors of finalist projects are entitled to public presentations, negotiations and other project activities. In 2019, the sub-unit will recruit 6-8 projects, and the deadline for submission is March 25.

Public Presentation of 2018 SIFF PROJECT –Work in Progress Project

In 2018, SIFF PROJECT received a total of 399 submissions from 12 countries and regions, of which 42 were eventually shortlisted: 6 fell into SIFF Project Lab, 10 into New Talent Project, 20 into SIFF Project, and 6 into Work in Progress Project. The three-day event has organized 710 negotiation meetings, and presented 9 awards with a total prize value of RMB 1.3 million.

Negotiation Meeting of 2018 SIFF PROJECT

Photo of Participants of 2018 SIFF PROJECT

Photo of Award-winning Participants of 2018 SIFF PROJECT

Progress of Selected Projects in 2018

In 2018, two selected projects started filming, four finished shooting and are under post-production, one completed production, and five were nominated at international film festivals or publicly released in China. The progress they’ve made highlights the fact that SIFF PROJECT has gradually grown into a mature and effective content incubator of quality Chinese films.

Reloaded in 2019

2019 marks the 13th edition of SIFF PROJECT. As the film industry grows and matures, SIFF PROJECT is constantly improving itself as well. The 2019 SIFF PROJECT will see the following upgrades:

1. SIFF Project Venture

In 2017, SIFF PROJECT established a sub-unit SIFF Project Venture. After two editions, the scripts of 12 new directors have been selected to receive guidance on writing and creating. A series of interactive courses and workshops concerning stories, ideas, development and production are designed and organized.

To further enhance the support for new projects, SIFF Project Lab will be upgraded in 2019 by offering more abundant content, prolonging activity time, raising professional and international level, and promoting the segment to the entire industry.

The 2019 SIFF Project Lab is expected to open for project submissions from mid-January. Stay tuned.

Photo of 2018 SIFF Project Lab

2. Co-production Project

Originating from the Forum on Film Co-production, SIFF PROJECT has been paying close attention to international cooperation since its inception in 2007. In recent years, a number of excellent co-production projects have been selected into the program.

To substantially promote the co-production and collaboration of Chinese and foreign films and recommend projects with potentials for international cooperation, the 2019 SIFF PROJECT will set up an independent sub-unit named Co-production Project. It collects projects from foreign film institutions and filmmakers in a targeted manner, and works as a platform to draw industry attention. 3-5 projects will be shortlisted in the sub-unit.

SIFF PROEJCT 2019

Submission Period

January 1 – March 1, 2019

New Talent Project, SIFF Project Lab, Co-production Project

January 1 – March 25, 2019

Work in Progress Project

For the submission regulations, FAQs of SIFF PROJECT, please visit our official website: www.siff.com

If you have any questions, please contact:

SIFF PROJECT Team

project@siff.com

86-21-2200 9859 (working hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays)