17th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF)
A massive crowd of nearly 300,000 attended the 17th Annual Shanghai Film Festival (SIFF).
Star-studded entrances of 400 celebrities graced the opening ceremonies, including Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Song Hye-Kyo, and Nicolas Tse. During these opening ceremonies, Hugh Grant and John Woo presented Nicole Kidman with an Outstanding Contribution Award. Director Jiang Wen also received a prize for his contribution to Chinese Cinema (his upcoming film, Gone With The Bullets, is expected to be released at the end of this year).
With over 1,099 films from 102 countries entering the Asian New Talent Award, MOBILE SIFF, and Golden Goblet Award, this was definitely an exciting night to remember. Listed below are the award winners:
Award Highlights
Asian New Talent Award for Best Film: I'm Not Angry!
Asian New Talent Jury Prix: 10 Minutes
Grand Short Award: Full Time (Best Performance: Chris Langham)
Best Feature Award: Malakim
Best Documentary: Circus Song
Best Animation: Entrance Examination
Micro Movie of the Year: Pork & Luna
Best Scriptwriter: Maria Brendle, screenwriter of The Stowaway
Jury Special Award: Bang Bang!
Golden Goblet Awards
These were announced during the spectacular closing ceremonies with celebrities like Natalie Portman and Gong Li.
Best Feature Film: Little England
Jury Grand Prix: The Uncle Victory
Best Director: Pantelis Voulgaris, director of Little England
Best Screenplay: Cyril Gely, the screenwriter of Diplomacy, and Volker Schlöndorff, the director of Diplomacy
Best Actress: Pinelopi Tsilika, in Little England
Best Actor: Vithaya Pansringarm, in The Last Executioner
Best Cinematography: Luo Pan, cinematographer of The Sacred Arrow
Outstanding Artistic Achievement (Music): Gregg Alexander for Begin Again
This year, the 17th SIFF was also a platform for advancing the film industry, with the SIFForum. During this forum, Youku, Tudou and the Shanghai government established a micro movie production center. The new center will foster young Chinese talent in this field. Shanghai University and the Vancouver Film School also announced that they will establish a film institute, and The Shanghai Vancouver Film School will begin enrolment this fall. Leading Digital Post Shanghai Media Events Co., Ltd launched a film post-production base in Shanghai, with a capacity to post 50 movies and 500 advertisements every year. Also, China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, and August First Film Studio announced that they will work together to produce one to three films every year.
In additional news, SIFF also launched Jackie Chan Action Movie Week, which will kick off during next year's film festival. This new addition to SIFF will showcase the latest trends in special effects technology and cinematography in action films.
Overall, the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival was a tremendous success. It has grown with every year, and its success and popularity show no signs of slowing down. We can hardly wait for next year’s festival.
