Shanghai Film Festival Sets Dates for Return to In-Person 25th Edition

The Shanghai International Film Festival has unveiled plans for its return to an in-person event that will mark its 25th edition and its 30th anniversary.

The festival was canceled last year, due to the severe restrictions imposed on the city in reaction to a Spring flare-up in the COVID outbreak. The 2023 edition will run June 9-18, 2023, organizers confirmed on Tuesday. They said it would, open a two-way journey between Chinese films and world films.

The Jinjue (Golden Goblet) Awards competition will this year operate across five categories: main feature film competition, Asian newcomers, documentaries, animation and short films.

Organizers said they have received nearly 8,800 entries from more than 128 countries and regions. Of these, about 4,500 were submitted for the canceled 2022 edition. The 2022 applications remain valid for 2023 if the filmmakers choose to go ahead.

The festival will also operate other components including a training program, a project matching event and a metaverse segment.

In January, it was announced that the SIFF Market will relocate to the Longemont Hotel, less than a mile from the Crowne Plaza Hotel that for many years has been the hub of the film festival. In recent years, the market has been held at a downtown exhibition center, that has necessitated a taxi, bus or subway journey for participants attending both festival and market elements.

The governments decade-old Belt Road Initiative, an economic outreach program, will be marked during SIFF by the continuation of the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance and the creation of the Belt and Road Film Friday. The section will comprise film screenings and a conference program spanning topics including international cooperation, film education innovation, technology and film integration, sci-fi film-making and joint innovation and synergy.

The Shanghai festival was launched in 1993 and was accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) as Chinas first and only international competitive feature film festival.