SIFF: Unchanged Positioning and Unceasing Advancement

The 12th Shanghai International Film Festival is about to ring down the curtain with the announcement of the Jin Jue Award winners tonight. However, concern about SIFF, SIFF MART, and development of Chinese films as well as world films will never come to an end.

In speaking of the development of film festivals, Tang Lijun, Vice Executive Secretary General of the 12th SIFF Organizing Committee, expressed her gratitude to the overall environment: “On the one hand, the success of this film festival is attributed to the overall development of Chinese films which is exerting an increasing influence on world films; on the other hand, it is also indebted to the booming development of Shanghai city, which is attracting more and more worldwide attention.” The interplay of a sound overall environment and the endeavors made by SIFF itself makes what the 12th SIFF is.

“We have been thinking of how to turn creativity into productivity in film industry. SIFF has realized this grand plan.” Tang said that the 12th SIFF has promoted the emerging forces in film industry by three means, namely, CFPC in China, Asian New Talent Award in Asia and International Student Shorts Award in the world. Another key point for SIFF is to enhance international cooperation. Tang did not mince matters about the first grade quality of SIFFORUM: “SIFFORUM has always been a band of SIFF. All forums are world-class, from president lecture to keynote seminar, from round table to master class.” The 12th SIFF has witnessed 12 film forums, and ranks the first compared to previous years in terms of the quantity and diversity of the forums.

The 12th SIFF has been held against the backdrop of global financial crisis. It is not an easy job to turn crisis into opportunity despite the fact that economic recession does bring opportunities to creative industries like film. The 12th SIFF’s success in seizing this opportunity results from its long-term accumulation. As Shanghai is a diversified city, SIFF also possesses this diversity. Tang said: “Diversity is a clear positioning of SIFF. Not every film festival or every industry can be characteristic of diversity.”

“Anyway, the main purpose of SIFF is to support new talented directors. But meanwhile, those well-received films at SIFF are also selling well on other overseas markets.” Tang believes that the key for successful film festivals rests in an authoritative jury to select outstanding young directors and works. SIFF is never inferior to others at this point.