The Shanghai International Film Festival
First held in October 1993, sponsored by the Municipal Government of Shanghai, and hosted by the Organizing Committee, the Shanghai International Film Festival, or SIFF, is the first non-competitive film festival in China to be acknowledged by international film producers.
With a fast-developing movie industry at home and the city's strong impetus to become a global cultural metropolis, the Festival creates a platform for cultural exchange with its prestige and authority, and has grown in influence by focusing on four major areas: the selection of award winners, markets, forums and exhibitions.
The Festival offers professional services with continuous innovation, and has raised its international profile with the "World Express" Project and activities related to the "One Belt One Road" Initiative.
The "World Express" Project further promotes the development of Chinese films by helping them to find an audience in the global market. With the participation of the Macau International Film Festival, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, and the Tokyo International Film Festival, and the capacity to run film competitions, encourage film producers to participate, and promote certain movies, this project builds a bridge of cultural exchange through film.
In 2017, the theme for the 20th SIFF was "Facilitating Cultural Exchange Along the Silk Road". The day of the opening ceremony, a Memorandum of Cultural Cooperation through Film Exchange was signed by representatives from 15 festivals and film institutes in 14 countries in the "One Belt One Road" Region. A total of 1,016 movies were submitted from 47 countries in the "One Belt One Road" Region, while 189 films from 32 countries in this region competed for the "Golden Goblet" and "Asia New Talent" awards.
The Festival opens up great opportunities for newcomers, showcases both domestic and international film culture, and plays a dynamic role in developing the film industry in China and establishing a complete value chain for the film industry in Shanghai.