China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Record number of film entries at SIFF
The 20th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) is currently taking place and more than 500 films from all over the world will be shown at 45 cinemas in the city from now till June 26.
This year, SIFF received more than 2,500 film entries from 106 countries and areas, a new record in the festival’s history, according to the organizers.
In addition, 1,016 films have come from 47 countries related to the Belt and Road Initiative. More than 500 of these creations have been selected to be showcased at the festival and 24 of them will be competing for the Golden Goblet awards.
This year, the Golden Goblet jury is chaired by Christian Mungju, an acclaimed Romanian director wellknown for his films depicting ordinary people’s lives in post-socialist Romania.
His Palme d’Or-award-winning film in 2007, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days will also be presented at SIFF, alongside three of his celebrated films Graduation, Occident and Beyond the Hills.
On June 17, SIFF signed a memorandum on exchanges and cooperation in filmmaking with 14 Eurasian countries located along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The signing ceremony also marked the launch of the new Belt and Road Project at SIFF this year.
Wu Xiaoming, artistic director of the municipal administration for culture, broadcasting, TV and film, said that the project consists of films that will be jointly produced by China and these countries, round table forums and special promotion campaigns for films originating from these 14 nations.
Films from the countries related to the Belt and Road Initiative will also be highlighted at the Jackie Chan Action Movie Week this year. SIFF has since 2015 been holding the Jackie Chan Action Movie Week, an event where outstanding performances, innovations in CG and other visual effects, as well as other new contributions to the action film genre are demonstrated and celebrated.