The Shanghai International Film Festival’s main jury wore its heart on its collective sleeve Saturday night, awarding the first Gold Cup prize to Zhong Kaifeng’s debut film. Atlantic Rhapsody They revealed that they were all “captivated and impressed” by the director’s bold approach to filmmaking.
At the start of the event, which runs from June 12-21 this year, head judge and Hong Kong legend Tony Leung Chiu-wai revealed that early conversations among his group – which included directors Guan Ho, Aktan Arim Kubat, Diya Kulumbegashvili, Fernanda Valadez, producer Dora Bouchoucha, and actress Chen Zhili – found them unanimous in wanting to look for “surprises”.
And 29-year-old Zhong has certainly achieved that with his feature debut, which revolves around a young man (Wang Yitong) searching for a father who leaves his home in the far north as China enters the 2000s, seeking the riches offered by the industrial boom in the south. The film plays with memories, and with time, as a young man searches for meaning – and has left critics here divided. Not so the jury.
“Through a bold, experimental approach, the director explores the absurdity of human life, while outstanding cinematography and editing create a compelling and unique visual experience,” the jury statement read, and Zhong appeared overwhelmed as the news was read at the Shanghai Grand Theater.
“Thank you very much to my father and my wife,” Chung began. “Since I started making films, I had no income for many years. It was you who helped me continue. I want to say that Atlantic It’s not a definition, it doesn’t provide answers, but today it seems He gave me an answer, and that answer is perseverance, love, hard work, and then faith.
It was double the joy for the young director and his crew that night, as the Best Cinematography award went to Hao Jiayue for his work on the film.
This year’s main Golden Goblets Awards featured a selection of 12 films from 15 countries and territories, and the judging panel expanded on their selections, covering a suitably diverse range of genres. The Grand Jury Prize went to Colombian director Nicolas Rincon Gil Illuminda (Belgium), a poignant and life-affirming story of a young woman facing the trials of life in the slums of Bogotá. The Best Director award went to Moroccan Yacine Al-Idrissi for the film “The Dark Entertainer.” Halimawhose star Khadija Amari won Best Actress for her convincing and often funny role as an elderly widow trying to get by.
And there were big cheers for local favorite Chang Songwen after news that he had bagged the Best Actor award for his role as a baffled (and often baffling) man accused of murder in Hong Kong. The secret is in the box (China/Hong Kong) Directed by Frankie Tam Kwong Yuen.
The jury said: “It is difficult to achieve the gradual build-up of this intensity. The actor’s outstanding performance adds to the film’s literary depth.”
2026 SIFF Gold Cup Winners
Best Feature Film: Atlantic Rhapsody (China) directed by Zhong Kaifeng
Grand Jury Prize: Illuminda (Belgium) directed by Nicolas Rincón Gil
Best Director: Yassin Al-Idrissi Halima (Morocco)
Best Actor: Chang Sung Won, The secret is in the box (China/Hong Kong)
Best Actress: Khadija Al-Ammari, Halima (Morocco)
Best scenario: Reese Selleck, Night of blindness (Türkiye/Germany)
Best Cinematography: hao jiayu, Atlantic Rhapsody (China)
Outstanding artistic achievement: The miserable mother (Germany/France) Directed by Susanne Heinrich
