Siti Muinah
The cinematic world has turned its gaze toward the Huangpu River as the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) officially announces its highly anticipated competition lineup. Scheduled to run from June 12 to June 21, the festival continues to cement its reputation as a vital bridge between Eastern and Western filmmaking, offering a platform for global storytellers to showcase their latest visions. With five distinct categories—ranging from high-stakes fiction features to avant-garde animation—this year’s edition promises an expansive exploration of the human condition through the lens of diverse cultural narratives.
The Main Competition: A Showcase of Global Premieres
The heartbeat of the festival remains the Main Competition, which this year features 12 titles representing 15 countries and territories. In a display of the festival’s commitment to discovery, every single entry in this section will be a world premiere.
The lineup is remarkably eclectic, reflecting the festival’s mandate to act as a global cultural crossroads. Among the notable contenders is Indonesia’s My Own Last Supper, directed by Ismail Basbeth, and the Turkey-Germany co-production Night of Blindness, helmed by Reis Çelik. Morocco makes a significant appearance with Yassine El Idrissi’s Halima.
The Chinese film industry, which serves as the host for this prestigious event, contributes two significant works to the main stage: Zhong Kaifeng’s Atlantic Rhapsody and Liu Xiaoyang’s The Great Skull. These are joined by the collaborative effort Secret in the Box, a co-production between the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong directed by Frankie Tam Gong-Yuen.
Rounding out this year’s international roster are Nicolás Rincón Gille’s Belgian entry Iluminada, the Brazil-U.K. collaboration Luiza’s Desert by Alan Minas, and the Russian submission Sea Sons, directed by Daniil Merkulov. Germany maintains a strong presence with two titles: Josef Brandl’s Superbuhei and Susanne Heinrich’s The Miserable Mother, the latter of which will share the honor of its world premiere with the Munich International Film Festival. The section is completed by the Canadian production The Parking Spot, directed by Louis Godbout.
Star-Studded Jury: The Arbitration of Art
The caliber of a festival is often judged by the quality of its jury, and the 28th SIFF has curated a panel that brings together decades of expertise, artistic rigor, and regional perspective. Presiding over the Main Competition is the legendary Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai. His selection as jury chair underscores the festival’s prestige, as Leung is widely considered one of the finest actors of his generation, known for his nuanced performances in international masterpieces.
Leung is supported by an esteemed seven-member panel, including Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, renowned Chinese director Guan Hu, and the celebrated Kyrgyz director Aktan Arym Kubat. The jury further features Mexican writer-director-producer Fernanda Valadez, Chinese actor Xin Zhilei, and Georgian director Dëa Kulumbegashvili, whose collective experience spans the entirety of the filmmaking process, from initial script development to final screen presentation.
Asian New Talent: Fostering the Next Generation
While the Main Competition draws seasoned veterans, the Asian New Talent section serves as a barometer for the future of cinema in Asia. This year’s selection highlights debut and second features from emerging voices across the continent and beyond.
The section features 12 titles that push the boundaries of narrative and form. Among the highlights are the India-Germany co-production Hunter’s Moon (directed by Ridham Janve) and Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s 9 Temples to Heaven, which arrives in Shanghai fresh from its success at the Cannes Film Festival. Kazakh director Alibi Mukushev brings No Good in Sight: A Story, while the Bangladesh-Germany collaboration The Blind Girl and an Elephant (Ishtiyak Ahmad Zihad) stands out as a highly anticipated world premiere.
Turkish, Jordanian, and Kyrgyz cinema are also well-represented, with Büşra Bülbül’s About the Mother, Zaid Abu Hamdan’s Boomah (a Jordan-KSA co-production), and Narghiza Dotieva’s Skylark. China’s emerging talent is showcased through four compelling works: Cassowary (Zhang Hanyi), Her First Taste (Gong Yiwen), No Hard Feelings (Liu Shichuan), and the cross-regional project Dog Day Evening (Mak Tin Shu). Wan Bo’s Strangers in the Mountain completes this robust lineup.
The jury for this section is chaired by Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, joined by a panel of creative leaders including Indonesian director Kamila Andini, Chinese director Liu Jiayin, Kazakh filmmaker Farkhat Sharipov, and Taiwanese actor Wen Qi.
Documentary and Animation: Expanding the Horizons
Beyond the fiction narrative, the festival continues to champion non-fiction and animated storytelling. The Documentary competition presents five world premieres, each offering a deep dive into unique socio-political and personal landscapes. Notes Unheard (China, directed by Gu Yun) will contend alongside international entries such as Chile’s The Tiger of the East, Spain’s Benigno, the North Macedonia-Croatia-Slovenia co-production Ruins, and the multi-national Wheels of Forgotten Dreams.
The Animation section is similarly diverse, featuring five features that showcase the global evolution of the medium. Brazil’s Amadeo and the Hypothetical New World, the Scandinavian production Dante, Indonesia’s Garuda: Dare to Dream, France’s Lucy Lost, and the Spain-Chile-Argentina collaboration Winnipeg, Seeds of Hope offer a vibrant mix of traditional and experimental animation techniques.
Official Governance and Institutional Support
The 28th SIFF operates under the strategic guidance of the China Film Administration. The festival is hosted by the China Media Group, in close coordination with the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. This level of institutional backing ensures that the festival functions not only as a cultural celebration but as a major industry event, facilitating international co-productions and policy discussions that shape the future of the regional film economy.
Implications for the Global Film Market
The selection of titles for the 28th SIFF reflects a shifting geopolitical landscape in the film industry. The prevalence of co-productions—such as those between Germany and India, or Bangladesh and Germany—suggests a growing trend toward international resource sharing. By providing a platform for these films to reach a global audience, SIFF is effectively decentralizing the film market, allowing works from regions that have historically been underrepresented to claim their space alongside major industry players.
For filmmakers, a selection at the Golden Goblet Awards represents a career-defining moment. The festival’s ability to attract world premieres indicates its growing influence in the international festival circuit, rivaling established European festivals in its capacity to launch new talent into the global spotlight.
Full Competition Breakdown
Main Competition
- Atlantic Rhapsody (China)
- Halima (Morocco)
- Iluminada (Belgium)
- Luiza’s Desert (Brazil/U.K.)
- My Own Last Supper (Indonesia)
- Night of Blindness (Turkey/Germany)
- Sea Sons (Russia)
- Secret in the Box (China/Hong Kong)
- Superbuhei (Germany)
- The Great Skull (China)
- The Miserable Mother (Germany/France)
- The Parking Spot (Canada)
Asian New Talent
- 9 Temples to Heaven (Thailand)
- About the Mother (Turkey)
- Boomah (Jordan/KSA)
- Cassowary (China)
- Dog Day Evening (China/Hong Kong)
- Her First Taste (China)
- Hunter’s Moon (India/Germany)
- No Good in Sight: A Story (Kazakhstan)
- No Hard Feelings (China)
- Skylark (Kyrgyzstan)
- Strangers in the Mountain (China)
- The Blind Girl and an Elephant (Bangladesh/Germany)
Short Film Competition
The festival also features an extensive Short Film section, split between Live Action and Animation. Titles like 2000 (Croatia), Chicken Lady (China/U.S.), Kill, Kokesh, Kill! (Czech Republic), and If Only (Belgium) exemplify the festival’s dedication to brevity and precision in storytelling.
As the June 12 kickoff approaches, the anticipation in Shanghai is palpable. The festival serves as a testament to the enduring power of the silver screen to unite disparate cultures, challenge existing narratives, and foster a global dialogue that transcends borders. Whether through the lens of a documentary camera or the imaginative strokes of an animator, the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival is poised to deliver a defining chapter in the year’s cinematic history.
Reynand Wu
Basiran
