Shanghai Film Fest Unveils Golden Goblet Lineup With Record Submissions

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At the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), they’ve revealed the movies contending for the Golden Goblet Awards. A total of 49 films are in the running, spread out over five different categories.

This year’s event has broken previous records, attracting more than 2,800 entries across 119 nations and territories. Notably, there was a significant surge in submissions from the Americas and Africa. The number of short film submissions increased by 18% compared to last year.

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This year’s event has surpassed past achievements, gathering over 2,800 entries from 119 countries and regions. There was a significant rise in entries from the Americas and Africa. The number of short film submissions climbed by 18% compared to last year.

The primary competition showcases a variety of 12 films set across different regions. Notable among these are “After the Fog,” a Chilean-U.K.-French collaboration directed by Miriam Heard, “Black Red Yellow” from Kyrgyzstan helmed by Aktan Arym Kubat, and “Cyclone” from Brazil under the direction of Flavia Castro. Chinese cinema contributes several entries such as “My Father’s Son,” “One Wacky Summer,” and “Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts.” The section also includes works like “Loss of Balance” from Poland, “Luisa” from Germany, “On Summer Sand” from Japan, the Argentina-Spain-Chile collaboration “The Reborn,” the Portugal-Brazil production “The Scent of Things Remembered,” and the joint effort between Germany and Switzerland, “You Believe in Angels, Mr. Drowak?”

The main competition has 12 films from different countries. Some examples are “After the Fog” (a collaboration between Chile, U.K., and France), “Black Red Yellow” (from Kyrgyzstan), and “Cyclone” (Brazil). China contributes several entries like “My Father’s Son,” “One Wacky Summer,” and “Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts.” Other countries represented include Poland, Germany, Japan, Argentina-Spain-Chile, Portugal-Brazil, and Germany-Switzerland.

The Asian New Talent Contest showcases a dozen up-and-coming filmmakers, such as China’s “As the Water Flows” (Bian Zhuo), “Odds Beater” (Cheng Liang), “Seven Days” (Qiu Yujie), “The Last Summer” (Shi Renfei), and “Water Can Go Anywhere” (Fang Liang). From Japan, we have “Brand New Landscape” (Yuiga Danzuka) following its premiere at Cannes, and from Turkey, there are “Grace for Sale” (Gözde Yetişkin, Emre Sert) and “Kanto” (Ensar Altay). The international lineup also includes India’s “Victoria” (Sivaranjini J), Iran’s “The Daughter” (Pourya Kakavand), Sri Lanka’s “Riverstone” (Lalith Rathnayake), and a joint production between Italy and the Philippines, “Where the Night Stands Still” (Liryc Dela Cruz).

The documentary category showcases five films: “A Part of the Land” from Iran (directed by Nima Mahdian Asl), “Brigade 2045” from Mexico (Olivia Luengas Magana), “Catchers on the Moon” from China (Xu Huijing), “Constanza” from Spain (Agustín Márquez Gómez), and “The Guardian of Stories” from Laos (co-directed by Claudia Bellasi and Markus Steiner Ender).

The category of animations features a collaboration from China titled “Edge of Time,” directed by Li Wei, Weng Ming, Shinichiro Watanabe, and Shuhei Morita. Other selections range from Robert Connolly’s “Magic Beach” (Australia) to Gensho Yasuda’s “Make a Girl” (Japan), Antoine Lanciaux’s “The Songbirds’ Secret” (France, Switzerland, and Belgium), and Zhang Gang’s China-U.S. production “Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass.

10 short films from various parts of the world are competing in the live-action short film contest. Representing China are “A Story About Winter” by Luo Zhaoguang and Zhou Nanjun, “Children of the Land” by Xu Rui, “Crow” by Xu Jianming, and “No One Knows I Disappeared” by Bo Hanxiong. The international entries include “Dead in the Water” from Iran (directed by Leila Hekmatnia), “Joana is Leaving” from France (Jonathan Millet), “Judite, or First Rebellion” from Portugal (Pedro Carneiro), “The End of the World” from Peru (Alessandro Mosca), “The Fountain of Memory” from Spain (Jordi Sanz Angrill), and “Video Game Auteur” from Mexico (Txema Novelo).

The competition is completed in the animated short film category with five entries: “I Am Not Here Anymore” (Nawojka Wierzbowska, Poland-France), “Little Story” (Mirjam Plettinx, Belgium), “Love Music Friend” (Xu Zao, China), “Son” (Zhanna Bekmambetova, Russia-Kazakhstan), and “Triassic Cuddle” (Iulia Turicianu, Romania).

Renowned Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore, who won an Oscar for “Cinema Paradiso,” will lead the international jury committee at a film festival. Tornatore expressed his excitement, stating that a film festival isn’t merely a celebration of cinema, but a chance for people from various countries to connect, share ideas, and admire exceptional films. He feels privileged to be part of the SIFF jury and looks forward to experiencing these remarkable pieces alongside fellow jurors in Shanghai.

As a keen follower, I’m thrilled to share that this year’s event marks a significant milestone with the fusion of the SIFF Film Market and Shanghai TV Festival’s market into a singular International Film and TV Market. Moreover, it’s exciting to see the debut of the Asia Now section, which promises to showcase regional viewpoints. Embracing the ideals of “Asian, Chinese Cinema, and Emerging Talents,” this year’s festivity is set to showcase approximately 60 Chinese-language films, encompassing competition entries, premieres, and rejuvenated classics.

The festival runs June 13-22, followed by the Shanghai TV Festival from June 23 to June 27.

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2025-06-01 11:16