2020-07-25

The journey of light and image starts right now - 23rd SIFF kicks off

The journey of light and image starts right now. Today, the 2020 Shanghai International Film & TV Festival, held under a special background, opens the curtain of the film festival with the “Building a well-off society in an all-round way and building a dream for a new era” Chinese Film Industry Summit Forum. At the opening forum, Yan Xiaoming, member of the party group and deputy director of China Media Group, delivered a speech and announced the opening of the film festival. Zhou Huilin, member of the standing committee of the Shanghai Municipal CPC Committee and Minister of the Municipal Propaganda Department, delivered a speech, and Vice Mayor Zong Ming attended.

Every year\'s film festival marks a new beginning with an attitude of constant innovation and enterprising. Therefore, it is necessary to take every step to serve the spiritual life of the public and the high-quality development of the film and TV industry. Especially this year, we must take this step in a down-to-earth manner.

Meeting the needs of the public, viewing with safety and peace of mind

The sudden COVID-19 epidemic has parted the audience and the cinemas for half a year. As soon as cinemas across the country reopened on July 20, fans ushered in the Shanghai International Film Festival. The first day of the opening of Shanghai cinemas coincided with the opening of the ticket sales of the Shanghai International Film Festival, which set off a ticket-buying craze among moviegoers, which is also reasonable.

To give priority to the safety and health of the public, the attendance rate shall be controlled within 30%, and the number of cinemas and screenings should be reduced when cinemas are reopened. To adhere to the important concept of “a people\'s city for the people”, the Shanghai International Film Festival, as a festival of the people, aims to innovate, strive for transformation, and do everything possible to meet the viewing needs of citizens. With the support of various districts and related institutions, the shows concerned by moviegoers are divided into three parts: cinema screenings, open-air screenings and online screenings.

There are more than 320 films shown in cinemas in this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival, of which 232 are the world premiere, the international premiere, the Asian premiere and the Chinese premiere, which are divided into 36 units and shown in 29 designated cinemas in the city. At present, the film festival is still trying to negotiate with domestic and foreign film parties to arrange more screenings. Open-air screenings will be held in seven business circles and more than 30 communities. Online screenings are carried out on platforms such as Migu Video and BesTV.

The screenings of the Shanghai International Film Festival have benefited from the phased achievements of epidemic prevention and control in China. However, we must not relax our prevention and control. At present, cinemas are still on the stage of conditional resumption of opening. According to the provisions of the related prevention and control guidelines and the management standards of film festivals, no matter it is cinema screenings or open-air screenings, from the number of screenings, rate of ticket sales, ticket purchase, ticket collection, to entering the cinema and viewing, strict epidemic prevention and control measures will be implemented. Members of the public are invited to offer full understanding. Only when we attach great importance to it and abide by the rules can we safely share the pleasure brought by films.

Boosting industry confidence offline and online

Zhou Huilin, member of the standing committee of the Shanghai Municipal CPC Committee and Minister of the Municipal Propaganda Department delivered a speech

The COVID-19 epidemic raided the world, bringing severe impact to the film and TV industry, especially the film industry suffered a huge blow, so the preparation of this year\'s film and TV festival is particularly difficult. However, with the deployment, guidance and support of leading departments at all levels, the Shanghai International Film and TV Festival has finally become the first major film and TV international cultural event held in China since the outbreak of the epidemic.

Since the Berlin International Film Festival held in February this year, all film festivals around the world have been cancelled or delayed because of the COVID-19 epidemic. As China\'s only international category A film festival, the Shanghai International Film Festival has always maintained close communication with the International Federation of Film Producers Associations to keep abreast of global developments. Therefore, the holding of the Shanghai International Film Festival has sent a positive signal that China\'s epidemic prevention and control has entered a regular stage and the confidence that the conditions and environment for the long-term development of China\'s film industry have not changed, which has quickly caused great repercussions in the film industry at home and abroad.

Strengthening the prevention and control of the epidemic has also forced the film and TV festival to innovate and transform its holding form. The format of this year\'s Shanghai International Film Festival has been adjusted to both online and offline. In addition to increasing open-air and online screenings, the SIFF Forum, which has always been valued by the industry and professionals, has set the content theme of encouraging industrial development confidence and promoting the film and TV industry to resume work and production. Multiple international film celebrities, such as Zhizhi Yuhe, Jia Zhangke, Denis Villeneuve and others have gladly accepted the invitation of lecturing in master classes in film schools to open an online window to conduct “face to face” communication with Chinese filmmakers in this special context of the film festival. The gala night, Golden Goblet Awards Ceremony, the red carpet and other gathering activities are canceled at this year’s film festival. With the canceling of the Golden Goblet Awards and Asian New Talent Awards and announced the “Official Selected Films” to reflect the outstanding achievements of Chinese and foreign filmmakers over the past year. The film market and TV market are held all online, which has aroused the attention of film and TV organizations all over the world. The number of exhibitors has rapidly broken through the highs of previous years, and there will be many international well-known film enterprises and brands to participate in the festival with their works.

Focusing on major themes and eulogizing the great era

Yan Xiaoming, member of the party group and deputy director of China Media Group, delivered a speech

As a major national film and TV cultural event, the annual Shanghai International Film Festival takes the initiative to implement the major arrangements and important spirit of the party and the state. This year\'s film festival closely revolves around the keyword of “getting rid of poverty and building a well-off society”. Through the planning of the event, it reflects the firm determination and achievements of the party and the state to implement the poverty alleviation strategy vigorously and lead the people to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way. In the cinema screenings of the Shanghai International Film Festival, the Happy Well-off section composed of eight films, from Wu Duo Jinhua to Dying to Survive, shows from different aspects the course of the party leading Chinese people to pursue social progress and dreams of rejuvenation. This section aroused keen interest from the audience and tickets were snapped up on the first day of opening. The international film and TV market, which is connected by film and TV, has also planned a key TV series release under the theme of “getting rid of poverty and heading for a well-off society”, releasing some of the works that have been selected by the National Radio and Television Administration. In the SIFF Forum and Shanghai TV Forum, the crew of the related works will also be invited to carry out the corresponding themed dialogues.

In order to meet the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party next year, the topic of making works of main themes and positive energy has been strengthened in SIFF Forum. We look forward to promoting the emergence of more profound, artistic and well-made masterpieces through the launching of the theme of the forum. “Documentary in the Epidemic” has turned its attention to filmmakers.

Ensure event quality and solid, rich content

Although various adjustments have been made, the basic section of the film festival that the public is familiar with remains unchanged. We will still ensure the quality and the order of the film festival. The films shown in cinemas at the film festival have been carefully selected by professional filmmakers, and the guest lineup of the SIFF Forum and the Film School still attracts major attention. The Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance continues to be welcomed, with its members reaching 44 countries and 50 institutions from 29 countries and 31 institutions when it was founded in 2018 to July this year. Although members of the Alliance cannot come to Shanghai for the Belt and Road Film Week as in previous years, they are still submitting films with enthusiasm. These films will be available to audiences in cinemas, open-air and online in the Pudong New District.

The Media Focus section, with supporting new talents of Chinese films as its mission, will also be carried out online this year. The film festival has not stopped building a six-tier training system for newcomers. The project presentation of the SIFF Project will start from July 25, and the results will be announced on July 28. The short film section has seen proactive participation, and the list of outstanding creators will be announced on July 28. Multiple industrial salons will be held in the international film and TV market. Based on the signing of the Yangtze River Delta Film and TV Shooting Base Cooperation Mechanism last year, the Yangtze River Delta Film and TV Shooting Base Cooperation Alliance will be established this year to further improve the cooperative quality of film and TV shooting services in the Yangtze River Delta. Pudong New District, Songjiang District and other areas will launch film and TV industry support policies and plans to encourage film and TV enterprises to sail through a hard time. The Shanghai Branch of China Media Group will hold 2020 China Movie & TV Night and a series of film and TV forums in Shanghai International Media Port on July 26 and 27, and Shanghai Film will also hold Shanghai Movie Night on July 25 to boost confidence in the development of the industry and empower the industry to forge ahead.

The 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival shows that Shanghai\'s unchanged confidence and resolve to defeat the epidemic. Shanghai’s confidence and resolve to build a global film and TV creation center and launch the brand of "Shanghai Culture" will remain unchanged. Shanghai’s confidence and resolve to host a festival for the people and create better lives will remain unchanged. Through safe and high-quality events, the film festival will unite filmmakers to recover and work together to create a new miracle of Shanghai\'s development in a new era.