The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival is poised to showcase a diverse array of cinematic achievements, with its Golden Goblet Awards competition selections now revealed. Across five distinct categories—fiction, documentary, animation, and short film—the festival, scheduled from June 12-21, will present a global spectrum of storytelling and artistic vision, drawing attention to both established and emerging talents from various nations.
The main competition segment highlights twelve feature films, each making its global debut, representing productions from fifteen different countries and regions. Notable entries include Indonesia's dramatic offering, “My Own Last Supper,” and the collaborative Turkish-German creation, “Night of Blindness.” Morocco contributes “Halima” to the esteemed selection. China features prominently with two films, “Atlantic Rhapsody” and “The Great Skull,” alongside the joint Chinese Mainland-Hong Kong production, “Secret in the Box.” Further international representation comes from Belgium with “Iluminada,” a Brazil-U.K. collaboration on “Luiza’s Desert,” and Russia’s “Sea Sons.” Germany also has a strong presence with “Superbuhei” and “The Miserable Mother,” the latter premiering simultaneously at the Munich International Film Festival. Concluding the main competition is Canada’s “The Parking Spot.”
Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai chairs the seven-member jury for the main competition, which includes prominent figures like Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, Chinese director Guan Hu, and Mexican writer-director-producer Fernanda Valadez, among others, ensuring a rich blend of perspectives in evaluating the films.
The Asian New Talent section, dedicated to directors presenting their first or second features, features twelve films from across Asia and beyond. This includes the India-Germany co-production “Hunter’s Moon,” Thailand’s “9 Temples to Heaven”—fresh from its Cannes showing—and Kazakhstan’s “No Good in Sight: A Story.” World premieres in this category include the Bangladesh-Germany collaboration “The Blind Girl and an Elephant,” Turkey’s “About the Mother,” Jordan-KSA’s “Boomah,” and Kyrgyzstan’s “Skylark.” China offers four entries: “Cassowary,” “Her First Taste,” “No Hard Feelings,” and the Chinese Mainland-Hong Kong co-production “Dog Day Evening,” along with “Strangers in the Mountain.” The Asian New Talent jury is led by Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, supported by an international panel of directors and actors.
Beyond fiction, the festival’s documentary competition showcases five global premieres, featuring China’s “Notes Unheard,” Chile’s “The Tiger of the East,” Spain’s “Benigno,” and a multi-national co-production, “Ruins,” from North Macedonia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Serbia, Bulgaria, and Croatia present “Wheels of Forgotten Dreams.” The animation category also presents five features, such as Brazil’s “Amadeo and the Hypothetical New World,” Scandinavia’s “Dante,” Indonesia’s “Garuda: Dare to Dream,” France’s “Lucy Lost,” and a Spain-Chile-Argentina collaboration, “Winnipeg, Seeds of Hope.” Additionally, both live-action and animated short film categories promise a diverse selection of emerging cinematic voices.
This year's festival, under the guidance of the China Film Administration and hosted by China Media Group and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, promises an engaging platform for international cinematic exchange and recognition, further cementing its role as a key event in the global film calendar.
