A Summary of the 12th SIFF

The 12th Shanghai International Film Festival news conference was held at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Hotel yesterday. Ren Zhonglun, executive vice chairman of the 12th Shanghai International Film Organizing Committee and president of Shanghai Film Group and Tang Lijun, executive vice secretary of the 12th Shanghai International Film Organizing Committee, attended the news conference, introducing the film festival and answering questions posed by the media. 

The Stars Hit the Red Carpet
The highly-anticipated opening ceremony of the Film Festival is to be held at Shanghai Grand Theatre on 13th June. There will be more than 300 famous film stars on the red carpet, including Halle Berry, Quincy Jones and other international stars. Given the star power of the event, some 2000 potential attendees will have to be turned away at the door.
The red carpet and the opening ceremonies of this year’s Film Festival will be simultaneously broadcast by Arts & Humanities Chanel, Orient Movie Chanel and Sohu Entertainment Synchronization Network? and recorded by Dragon TV and CCTV Movie Chanel. A film titled Wheat will be screened on the opening day, while the American movie Angels And Demons will air on the closing day.
 
The Number of Movies up for Selection　Hits a Record High
As the most eye-catching part of this film festival, the competition section of the 12th SIFF will cover 1,925 films from all over the world, including a record number of world premiers and Asian premiers. The number of contestants hit a record high this year. The international juries for Jin Jue Award and Asian New Talent Award, led by Danny Boyle and IM Kwon Taek respectively, will announce all the award winners on the 19th and 21st of June.

The "Concentration Effect" of the Film Market
       The part of the SIFF that is most important in promoting industrial development, the SIFF Film Market (composed of the Film Market, the CFPC and the Co-FPC), has demonstrated its "concentration effect" and an ability to bring resources together. Although many industries are suffering from the on-going global financial crisis, the growing Film Market has been fervently welcomed by film industry. The organizing committee has moved the event to the Shanghai Exhibition centre this year, an exhibition area twice as large as past years\'. Nevertheless, all the booths were quickly sold out, and some potential exhibitors even had to be turned away.