The 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) unveiled the 15 nominations in the Golden Goblet Award, with three Chinese films included.
“The Return” directed by Qin Hailu, tells the story of an elderly man's lonely life away from his hometown, and his longing to return.
Qin is more widely known as an actress. The film marks her big screen directorial debut.
Film posters of "Spring Tide", "The Return" and "Vortex" (L-R). /Photo via SIFF 2019
“Spring Tide” directed by Yang Lina focuses on the relationship between the family members. Being a female director herself, Yang's production has focused on the life of three women: a journalist, her mother and daughter under the same roof.
It is part of a rare genre of films that explore how individuals might be influenced by their original family, which has been a social problem in Chinese society as well.
Director Jacky Gan's film “Vortex” is a crime film, which explores the secrets behind a child abduction. The film, despite its hardcore crime genre, has a warm theme, as is said by media recommendations, which makes it a dark horse in the main competition category.
The nomination lineup is marked by films from around the world. There are also films by directors from Japan, India, Kazakhstan, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Iran, Georgia and Mexico.
File photo of Wu Jing, Chinese actor and director. /Photo via SIFF 2019
A total of five films have been nominated for the documentary category, five for animation film category among others.
The 22nd SIFF, expected to open on June 15, will unveil the final result on June 23, and the jury members led by Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan are expected to decide the winners.
Meanwhile, action film star Wu Jing, who shot to international fame with his mega blockbusters “Wolf Warrior 2” and “The Wandering Earth,” was announced the ambassador of this year's SIFF.
During SIFF, there will be about 500 films, selected out of the 3,964 registered ones, to be screened in 47 cinemas in Shanghai.
Two domestic films, “The Eight Hundred” and “Beautiful Voyage” are expected to open this year's festival, and will be screened after the opening ceremony.
CGTN Infographic
Infographic design by Zhang Xuecheng.