Filmmakers are preparing to gather in Shanghai for the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), which will be held from June 15 to June 24.

Founded in 1993, the SIFF is the only competitive film festival in China approved by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). It was first held biennially from 1993 to 2001 and then annually from 2004.

Turkish director and screenwriter Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Mexican producer Nicolas Celis, Chinese actor Wang Jingchun and Chinese film director Ning Hao are among the jury line-up this year.

A total of 3,964 films from 112 countries and regions have applied either for competition or for exhibition this year, according to the organizing committee of the film festival. Around 40 films have been shortlisted to run for the "Golden Goblet Awards" and 14 for the "Asian New Talents Awards" at the film festival.

The main prize - Golden Goblet Awards 

The trophy of the Golden Goblet Awards is an ancient Chinese wine container called "Jin Jue" in Chinese. With a strong orient culture root, it combines beauty and antiquity quite well.

Competition sections for the awards fall into four categories, which include the main competition for feature-length films, and ones focusing on documentary, animation and short films.

The awards used to consist of eight prizes before the addition of "Best Documentary Film" and "Best Animation Film" in 2015.

The Golden Goblet Awards results will be announced at a ceremony on the evening of June 23.

Asia Focus - Asian New Talents Awards

Launched in 2004, the Asian New Talent Awards is aimed at cultivating new forces of Asian films and stimulate the vitality of Asian films. The SIFF upgraded the awards in 2015 and set a target goal of promoting “Asian, Chinese and New Talent” features in movies.

There are a total of six prizes under the awards. 

Celebrated Chinese director Ning Hao is named the Jury Chairman of the Asian New Talent Awards this year. He himself won the award in 2005 with his feature film "Mongolian Ping Pong." The film won the award for the Most Popular Movie – an award no longer under the Asian New Talent Awards in recent years.

The Asian New Talent Awards results will be unveiled on June 21.

Asian films will be in the spotlight this year as the SIFF plans to set up a "SIFF ASIA" framework, which includes Asian Film Panorama, Asian Project Co-production, Asian Film Salon and Asian Station Express. Together with the Asian New Talent Awards, the framework is expected to encourage the creation and development of new films on the most populous continent.

Cover photo by Du Chenxin, Infographics by Liu Shaozhen