The Shanghai Film Festival unveils a competitions section packed with world premieres

The Shanghai International Film Festival unveiled its main competition slate for the Gold Cup awards over the weekend, with all 12 films screened as world premieres — a first in the section’s history, according to the festival. The twenty-eighth edition will be held from June 12 to 21.

Three of the main entries in the competition are Chinese-language productions, all from emerging directors. In total, 49 titles across five competitive divisions compete for the awards, drawn from a record selection of approximately 4,100 films from 125 countries and territories.

The main competition extends to 15 countries and regions. The entries in Chinese are Zhong Kaifeng’s entries Atlantic Rhapsody And Liu Xiaoyang Great skullboth from the mainland, and Frankie Tam Jung Yuen The secret is in the boxa co-production between the mainland and Hong Kong. Atlantic Rhapsody It is said to blend drama, comedy and fantasy in a story about a supermarket employee who is left sleepless and hears voices after accidentally cooking a shark. Great skulla dark comedy starring Wen Qi, Ni Hongjie, and Yu Entai, follows a soon-to-be-graduating young woman and her mother as they deal with the “funeral committee” that her father quietly arranged before his untimely death. The secret is in the boxled by Chang Sunguin, Patrick Tam, and Isabella Leung, is based on Hong Kong’s “Box Murder Case” of the 1970s—the first local case solved through forensic evidence—in a story about a convicted man who protests his innocence for decades, and the young detective who continues the search.

The only other Asian title in the section is Indonesian director Ismail Paspeth My last supperwith Europe securing most of the remaining slots. Germany gets two entries, Superbuhei by Josef Brandl and Susanne Heinrich The miserable motherwhere the latter makes its world premiere at the Munich International Film Festival, alongside a Turkey-German co-production from director Rhys Celik. Night of blindnessthe Belgian surname of Nicolas Rincon Gil Illumindaco-produced by Alan Minas between Brazil and the United Kingdom Luisa desertEnter the Russian Daniil Merkulov seasonQ, Moroccan feature Yassin Al-Idrissi Halima And the entry of Canadian Louis Godbout Parking place.

The major competition for world premieres demonstrates that SIFF prefers to be a launching pad for new talent rather than a final showcase for notable prestige titles already circulating on the festival circuit.

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai chairs the seven-member main competition jury. The committee includes Chinese director Guan Hu, who… Black dog Won Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2024; Georgian writer and director Diya Kulumbegashvili April Played in competition in Venice in 2024; Mexican director Fernanda Valadez, winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at Sundance in 2020; Chinese actress Chen Zhili was named Best Actress in Venice last year for her role The sun shines on us all; Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha; And Kyrgyz director Aktan Arem Kubat.

The New Asian Talent section, dedicated to debut and second films by Asian directors, features 12 titles this year. Once again, all films are having their world premieres except for Thai director Somput Chidgasornpongse’s film 9 temples to heavenWhich debuted at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in May. Chinese-language titles dominate again, including Zhang Hanyi’s titles The cassowaryGong Yuen Her first tasteLiu Shichuan No hard feelingsWan Po Strangers in the mountain and the mainland-Hong Kong co-production of Mak Tin Chow Dog day evening. Singaporean director Anthony Chen Elo elo He won the Cannes Camera d’Or in 2013 and chairs the section’s jury.

The Documentary and Animation Competitions feature five films each, complemented by 10 live-action films and five animated shorts. American director Geeta Gandhipierre chairs the documentary jury, and British animator Will Pitcher chairs the animation panel.

The festival opens on June 12 Meta-theatricala Hong Kong psychological drama produced by Derek Yee and directed by feature director Ken T. K. Wong. The film, which arose from the Hong Kong government’s director succession plan, stars Stephen Fung as a banned theater director who becomes dangerously involved with a young actress during casting.

The 28th Shanghai Gold Cup Awards – Complete Set