2019-02-18

SO LONG, MY SON Garnered Best Actor and Actress Awards.Shanghai Productions Shined at Berlinale

At the 69th Berlin International Film Festival Awards Ceremony held this morning, WANG Jingchun and YONG Mei, starring in SO LONG, MY SON, won the Best Actor Award and Best Actress Award respectively. A Dongchun (Shanghai) Films Co., Ltd. production, the film was also nominated for the Golden Bear of this year\'s Berlinale main competition, and became the first Chinese film to bag both the Best Actor and Best Actress Awards at the Berlin International Film Festival. Meanwhile, A FIRST FAREWELL produced by Shanghai Eternity Films won the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for the Best Feature-length Film.

Head-turning and Acting Award-winning Chinese Films at Berlinale

SO LONG, MY SON lasts three hours, and tells the story of two families that fall out due to an accident, with one even moving far away from the north to the south of China, and are eventually reunited 30 years later, revealing the secret thanks to the younger generation’s openness.

WANG Jingchun said at the awards ceremony: "I sat among the audience five years ago, and now I am standing here this year. I want to say to my father in heaven, long time no see, dad. And I also want to give this award to my daughter, who let me know how happy it is to be a father. Today,all gathered here because of movies. Long live all the friendships and love in the world. Thank you!"

YONG Mei was also overjoyed: “It’s such a surprising pleasure to receive this award for a film about a couple who lost their son. I’d like to thank Berlin International Film Festival, and especially the director WANG Xiaoshuai. Thank you for making this happen. Thank you LIU Xuan and also Jingchun. We had a wonderful time shooting together. Thank you, all my co-workers. I’m so happy!”

At this year\'s Berlin International Film Festival, Chinese films attracted much attention, with several works by Chinese directors shortlisted in the main competition. In addition to SO LONG, MY SON in the main competition, A DOG BARKING AT THE MOON won the Jury Award under Teddy Award, and A FIRST FAREWELL was awarded the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for the Best Feature-length Film.

Distinctive “Shanghai Productions” Boost Shanghai’s Film Industry

Among the notable films at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, SO LONG, MY SON and A FIRST FAREWELL are all "Shanghai productions".

As a buzz word in the film and television industry in recent years, “Shanghai Production” has gradually become a guarantee of reputation and quality. Data shows that in 2018, Shanghai continued to exceed other cities in China not only in terms of the number of cinemas and screens, but also the annual box office which reached 3.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.63%. Shanghai continued to win the annual champion of national urban box office, and there are 35 films produced by Shanghai companies were in cinemas, taking a total of 10.4 billion yuan at the box office, accounting for 27.4% of that of all domestic productions. All this was achieved thanks to Shanghai\'s policies to help build a global film and television production center, optimize the production mechanism of the film industry, and encourage and promote the conception, making and distribution of high-quality films.

In recent years, the supportive policies have helped the Shanghai film and television industry bring together more talents, companies, and projects, creating a good ecosystem for its development. More and more film companies and directors have chosen Shanghai as their “settle in” city, so as to produce more films of high quality for the audiences, and enrich the content of Shanghai-style movies.

Winners at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival

Golden Bear for Best Film

SYNONYMS by Nadav Lapid

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize

BY THE GRACE OF GOD by François Ozon

Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize

SYSTEM CRASHER by Nora Fingscheidt

Silver Bear for Best Director

Angela Schanelec for ICH WAR ZUHAUSE, ABER (I WAS AT HOME, BUT)

Silver Bear for Best Screenplay

Maurizio Braucci, Claudio Giovannesi and Roberto Saviano for LA PARANZA DEI BAMBINI (PIRANHAS)

Silver Bear for Best Actor

Wang Jingchun in SO LONG, MY SON

Silver Bear for Best Actress

Yong Mei in SO LONG, MY SON

Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution

Rasmus Videbæk for the cinematography in UT OG STJÆLE HESTER (OUT STEALING HORSES/PFERDE STEHLEN)

Glashütte Original – Documentary Award

TALKING ABOUT TREES by Suhaib Gasmelbari

GWFF Best First Feature Award

ORAY by Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay

Golden Bear for Best Short Film

UMBRA by Florian Fischer and Johannes Krell

Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film)

BLUE BOY

Audi Short Film Award

RISE by Bárbara Wagner and Benjamin de Burca