Shanghai film festival opens with global flair

The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival will open on June 12, with Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai chairing the jury for the Golden Goblet Awards, the annual event's top honor.

The other six jury members are Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, Chinese director Guan Hu, Kyrgyz director Aktan Arym Kubat, Georgian director-screenwriter Dea Kulumbegashvili, Mexican scriptwriter-director Fernanda Valadez, and Chinese actress Xin Zhilei.

Running until June 21, the festival has received about 4,100 submissions from 125 countries and regions, setting a record. Countries including Ghana and Mozambique submitted films for the first time. Of the entries, about 3,000 met the competition criteria, with world or international premieres making up 82 percent of the total.

The Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance, initiated by the festival, now includes 57 partners from 50 countries. This year, the alliance is prioritizing collaboration with organizations including the Royal Film Commission – Jordan as it expands its international network.

As part of the alliance framework, the Belt and Road Film Week will promote cultural exchange between China and Arab countries through a range of events, including the Belt and Road Film Week — Arabian Souk & Culture Market. This year's festival will also celebrate the 70th anniversary of China-Egypt diplomatic relations with a special "Egyptian Film Week".

As one of the festival's top draws, the event will showcase more than 420 films across over 1,500 screenings in a variety of themed sections. Continuing its exploration of film history, the festival will present several retrospectives, including tributes to Billy Wilder and Marilyn Monroe, as well as a celebration marking British director Ken Loach's 90th birthday.

The official poster for the 28th festival, themed "Lights, Camera, Stories", continues the dialogue between the city and cinema. The festival's promotional film, Step into the Story, invites audiences to discover traces of film in everyday life and the possibilities of life within film.