Shanghai Fest Returns with Zhang Ziyi’s New Film, AI Debates

The Shanghai International Film Festival is set to launch its 27th edition in grand style, commemorating 120 years of Chinese cinema with a lineup packed with global talent, sold-out screenings and ambitious industry conversations.

Almost from the moment movie cameras first started whirring in China, filmmakers have flocked to Shanghai. Although Beijing boasts the country’s first film (1905’s The Battle of Dingjunshan), Shanghai undeniably remains the heart of China’s culture industries. The country’s first major film studios emerged in this sprawling metropolis in the 1920s, and its cinematic passion remains palpable. There are cinemas everywhere — around 400 in the city alone — and each year the public flocks to this landmark 10-day event.

Running June 13-22, SIFF will screen more than 400 films across approximately 1,500 showings, and the enthusiasm from audiences has been immediate. Chen Guo, managing director of the festival’s organizing body, Shanghai International Film & TV Events Center, tells The Hollywood Reporter, “Ninety-two films and over 600 screenings were sold out within an hour of tickets going on sale on June 5.”

The hottest ticket in town annually is the closing-day screening of whatever film wins the festival’s Golden Goblet Award for Best Director — a quirk that’s turned tradition, with no one knowing what they’re going to see until the award ceremony on the final day. According to Chen, tickets for the mystery screening this year disappeared in “just 26 seconds.”

The Golden Goblet competitions feature 49 films across five categories, with 12 films competing in the main category. As usual, the lineup boasts a strong local presence (including multi-award winner Cao Baoping’s One Wacky Summer), as well as features from afar afield as Kyrgyzstan (Aktan Arym Kubat’s Black Red Yellow) and Brazil (Flavia Castro’s Cyclone).

Italian Oscar-winner Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso) chairs the main jury. The festival opens with Peter Chan Ho-sun’s She’s Got No Name, a Cannes selection set in 1940s Shanghai, starring superstar Zhang Ziyi, who is expected to grace the red carpet.

Other highlights include the Asian New Talent section, historically a launchpad for filmmakers of future acclaim, such as China’s Ning Hao and Tibet’s Pema Tseden, and a David Lynch retrospective featuring Eraserhead, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Drive — reportedly the festival’s second-fastest sellout.

Of course, there will be no escaping the swirling uncertainties surrounding the contemporary film business. The industry sidebar SIFF Forum has a series of panels tackling hot-button issues like artificial intelligence’s role in filmmaking. Additionally, the event’s International Film Market will merge with the Shanghai TV Market for the first time, running June 21-25.

THR sat down with Chen on the eve of the festival to discuss the vision and ambition for this year’s edition.

How has SIFF evolved recently, and what is its current role within China and internationally?

SIFF has become an important festival in Asia and even globally. Film has always been an important medium for cultural exchange, so as a significant international film festival, SIFF has persisted in using film as a link to continuously deepen the exchange and mutual learning between film cultures across various countries, ethnic groups and regions. This year’s Golden Goblet Awards jury consists of 21 jurors from 13 countries and regions across Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. The wide distribution of countries and regions fairly represents the diverse landscape of global film cultures, and we have striven to make the jury process more globally oriented and culturally inclusive. Chinese cinema has gone through a glorious journey of 120 years since its birth in 1905. Standing at this important historical mark, filmmakers have many issues to consider. Therefore, this year’s film festival will further aggregate industry forces, expand partners, and centrally display a number of high-quality films that are about to be released or under preparation and production, demonstrating the positive momentum of the industry.

What excites you most about this year’s festival?

While our programming teams have deep respect for the century-long journey of Chinese cinema, what excites me even more at this festival is forward-looking initiatives such as SIFF ING youth-focused program and the strong momentum building for Chinese-language films. I am also paying close attention to the synergy between technology and creativity. This year, the festival has established a dedicated forum on the application of AIGC in the film and television industry, bringing together innovative creators from around the world to explore emerging trends. This initiative not only responds to the industry’s strong interest in new technologies but also underscores SIFF’s proactive and insightful role in shaping the future of the film ecosystem.

As an industry insider, I’m glad to welcome all the guests to the new International Film and TV Market, which fully integrates the film market and the TV market for the first time. This evolution will not only foster greater exchange among content providers and platforms but also, through specialized sections focused on genre and region, strengthen ties with emerging markets in Southeast Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. It signals expanded opportunities for Chinese film and television to gain “visibility” on a broader international stage.

There looks to be some exciting emerging Chinese talent on display this year. What can you share about the contemporary scene and the opportunities for this generation of filmmakers in China today?

I firmly believe that today’s generation of emerging Chinese filmmakers is experiencing an unprecedented golden era. SIFF positions itself as “rooted in Asia, focusing on Chinese-language films, and supporting new talents,” adhering to the philosophy of being leading, professional and international. An important manifestation of our professional leadership is the cultivation and incubation of professional talents. We are seeing young filmmakers enjoying greater freedom when it comes to choosing themes and adopting perspectives that are both socially conscious and deeply personal. This is thanks to the maturing and growing diversification of the overall industry environment.  An example is the SIFF Project industry sidebar’s new “Genre Film Project” section, which is set to encourage young filmmakers to innovate within genre frameworks, ensuring their work combines expressive depth with market viability. Meanwhile, cutting-edge technologies like AIGC are increasingly embraced by young creators — not as gimmicks but as tools to explore new frontiers of cinematic expression. Through dedicated forums and program units, SIFF actively promotes this integration, and I am confident in their creative potential with new media languages.

Can you share some tips on what we should be watching in Shanghai over the coming 10 days?

It’s hard to choose, but I suggest that everyone can focus on three Chinese-language films shortlisted for the main competitions. Qiu Sheng, director of My Father’s Son, returns after winning the Best Live-Action Short Film Award at the 24th SIFF with his sci-fi short Song of Life. Cao Baoping, director of One Wacky Summer, is a former winner under our Asian New Talent section [2015’s The Dead End] and was also the jury president for that section last year. The other film I’d like to point people towards is Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts, which is the debut feature film of director Wang Tong. These directors are all Chinese filmmakers we have long paid attention to, and we also hope that the international audience and media can give them more attention.

How is the festival addressing the current challenges facing the Chinese film industry?

With the global heat of Ne Zha 2, Chinese cinema in 2025 kicked off with a remarkable start. However, Chinese filmmakers have much to ponder. That’s why we have set up the Golden Goblet Forum to gather industry wisdom every year and to discuss important transformations in the development of the film industry, hoping this will provide inspiration and food for thought to filmmakers. Film is no longer just a form of art; it is becoming a new engine to promote consumption and drive economic growth. Thus, like the SIFF itself, the Golden Goblet Forum aims to serve as an annual platform for intellectual exchange, where guests from various fields offer suggestions for the high-quality development of Chinese cinema and seek common development from their respective perspectives. From the day after the opening ceremony to the closing day, there is at least one high-profile forum every day. Through different topic settings, we hope to deeply discuss the opportunities and challenges facing Chinese cinema today, so as to foster more excellent works, improve the market, and carry out cultural exchanges. This will help Chinese cinema progress from an initial success to continuous prosperity.