Shanghai's neon-lit streets thrum with excitement as the 28th edition of the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) runs from June 12 to 21, 2026. This year's SIFF, China's only "A-list" film festival, takes fans on a whirlwind journey through a century of Chinese storytelling and a roller-coaster of emotions.

For Federico Vuka, tracing the city's past during strolls under the famous skyline and in cinema theaters feels like "living in a movie." "I feel the quiet inside," Fede says as he leaves the screening of this summer's blockbuster, Dear You. Having lived away for a while, he is thinking about home and the next chance he'll get to say "I love you" to his family. That quiet comes not only from a film that speaks the love he has left unspoken. It also comes from zooming out of his daily rhythm to enjoy the city during this coming together of art, culture and people from all over the world.