Audiences watch the anti-pandemic documentary “Days and Nights in Wuhan” on January 22, 2021 in a cinema in Jiangan district, Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province. Photo: CFP

The 24th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) will rescreen Days and Nights in Wuhan, China's first anti-pandemic documentary, on June 12 along with other 11 classic films highlighting the monumental achievements of the Communist Party of China (CPC) since its foundation.

Released on January 22, the documentary shows touching stories of the medical staff and patients in intensive care units at hospitals when the pandemic suddenly hit Wuhan. It was put together using thousands of hours of footage collected by over 30 local photographers in the city's frontline for months after the intensive lockdown.

It gives a full view of how Chinese coped with the COIVD-19 outbreak, an unforgettable experience which, according to an editorial from People's Daily, represents "another incredible result achieved by CPC."

Along with "red classics", The Wandering Earth, a "new mainstream" film which was considered by the media as a pioneering production for Chinese Sci-fi movies, is also part of the screening during the SIFF. 

"New mainstream" films in China come with a commercial value that appeal and entertain broader audiences and preserves a high artistic level at the same time, film producer Zhang Fengkui, told Xinhua News Agency, adding that this type of films are gaining more popularity among Chinese youth for their patriotism.

The film festival also plans to rescreen famous black and white "red classics" from last century, such as Red Detachment of Women, which tells a story of a group of women freed from feudal oppression and exploitation that joined Chinese Red Army around 1931. Another piece is The Nanchang Uprising, a story about the Nanchang uprising launched by the CPC to oppose the Kuomintang administration in 1927.

The special plan to rescreen red classic films on the SIFF is also part of the film exhibition scheme for the CPC's 100th anniversary celebration launched in Shanghai from January 8 to December 31.

The 24th SIFF is part of the events to welcome the 100th anniversary of the CPC in July. It is also among 15 Competitive Feature Film Festivals, which also include the Cannes International Film Festival, the Venice International Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival.