A poster for the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival

 

The 16th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), one of the biggest of its kind in Asia, will run from June 15 to 23. Organizers say this year's event will be the largest in the festival's history since it was first launched in 1993.

The competition section of the festival features two main awards: the Golden Goblet, whose winner will be decided by a panel of seven international judges, and the Asian New Talent Award, aimed at identifying and encouraging future stars. This year's jury president is acclaimed British film and television director Tom Hooper, whose 2010 hit, The King's Speech, won four Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture.

Tom Hooper, the acclaimed British film and television director, is this year's jury president of Shanghai International Film Festival Photos: Courtesy of festival organizers

 

In addition to the competition, local cinemagoers can catch the latest popular movies, restored classic works, documentaries and art house flicks at 26 cinemas around town. The diverse selection of more than 300 films range from comedies like Bollywood hit 3 Idiots, Josh Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing and Finding Nemo in 3-D to this year's Oscar winners Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook and Amour.

All of the films will be shown in their original language, accompanied by both English and Chinese subtitles.

Tickets are priced from 40 yuan ($6.45) to 60 yuan.

Retrospectives of masters

To mark the 20th anniversary since the festival began, the festival organizers have invited American director Oliver Stone, who served on SIFF's first jury in 1993, to return and accept a Lifetime Achievement Award. A series of Stone's classic works, including Platoon, Wall Street, Born on the Fourth of July and JFK will be screened during the festival and Stone himself will also attend a Q&A session with local film fans.

American director Oliver Stone

 

Li Bo, a 32-year-old accountant, told the Global Times that he is excited to meet his favorite director. "Because of his experience as an infantry soldier in the Vietnam War, Stone became one of the few directors with a left-leaning outlook making mainstream American movies from the 1980s to the 1990s," Li said. "His interest in contemporary and controversial political and cultural issues made his work highly influential with the American public."

A still from JFK

 

This year's Tribute to Masters, one of the most popular sections of SIFF, will hold a retrospective of movies directed by Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu (1903-63), including Tokyo Story, The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice, Early Spring, Late Spring, Late Autumn and Equinox Flower.

Nine of Alfred Hitchcock's black and white films from the late 1920s to the 1950s, including six silent films, will also be screened during the festival. They were all restored by the British Film Institute.

A still from A Chinese Ghost Story

 

Sure to be popular with locals is a retrospective of movies starring Hong Kong actor and singer Leslie Cheung (1956-2003). The screened works include Once a Thief, Farewell, My Concubine and A Chinese Ghost Story. Wang Yang, a local cinemagoer in Shanghai, expressed his love for the late Chinese actor. "This year is the 10th anniversary of Cheung's death," Wang told the Global Times. "His films and songs will always live on in our hearts."

A still from Amour

 

Film forums

In recent months, domestic movies such as Lost in Thailand, So Young and American Dreams in China have generated impressive returns at the Chinese box office, proving that local productions can compete with Hollywood blockbusters on home soil.

In response, this year's festival organizers are holding a number of forums specifically focusing on the domestic movie industry. Directors and producers from China and abroad will discuss the entire movie-making process from investment to the final product.

Shen Yang, the deputy director of SIFF, told the Global Times that it is a complicated but very necessary job to invite guests for the festival's forums. "We must carefully consider what kind of people to invite. They need to have a variety of successful experiences in the film industry, and be able to provide effective and helpful suggestions for the industry," Shen said.

In addition to Oliver Stone, the invited guests this year include Gary Kurtz, the American producer famous for making the Star Wars series, and the founders of leading Chinese production company Huayi Brothers Media, Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei.

All the forums will be held from June 16 to 20. The two main venues are the Crowne Plaza Shanghai on Panyu Road and the Shanghai Exhibition Center on Yan'an Road Middle.

A poster for the 19th Shanghai TV Festival