On Wednesday, the Shanghai International Film Festival announced the competitive selection for the upcoming 26th edition, with a lineup that is characteristically luxurious in Chinese titles. As in recent years, the offer also includes plenty of European, Japanese and Central Asian films, but not a single film from the US or South Korea.
The most anticipated film from the 14-title main competition of the festival in 2024 is undoubtedly the drama by Chinese director Guan Hu Man and woman, which will feature two main acts from massive local stars Huang Bo and Ni Ni. Just a week ago, Guan wowed critics at the Cannes Film Festival with his obscure comic thriller Black Dog, which won the prestigious Un Sure Regard award at the French festival. Guan is also no stranger to the Shanghai festival. His World War II tent Eight hundred was supposed to open the 2019 edition of the event, but was withdrawn at the last minute due to reported censorship problems (later changes were made to the film and it became a huge blockbuster). The Western press revealed little about Guan’s latest report, Man and womanbut its recent good run with critics and commercials will make it one of the festival’s most sought-after tickets.
Feature film by Chinese director Wei Shujun Do not worry Be Joyful is another honorable mention in the competition, just like Zhang Dalei Fall of the stars. Wei’s latest movie, Only the river flowswhich premiered last year in Cannes, with THRa critic summarized it as “a puzzle-like homage to the noir genre”. Zhang’s feature debut, Summer has passed (2016) was awarded Best Film at the Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei.
Drama by Japanese director Mipo O Life in two worlds is another attraction. The film is O’s first feature-length film in nine years and tells the story of a teenage man raised in rural Japan by deaf parents. O, one of the most outstanding Japanese directors, has already seen her 2014 film The lithe shines only there chosen by her country as the official entry to the Oscars.
The 26th Shanghai International Film Festival will take place from June 14 to 23. Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung (nominated for an Oscar in 1994 for the film The scent of green papaya and last year’s winner of the Best Director award at Cannes The taste of things) became the chairman of the festival jury in the main competition section. Tran’s jury includes Australian director Rolf de Heer, German director Matthias Glasner, Hong Kong star Tony Leung Ka-fai, Argentine director Santiago Miter, Chinese actress Zhou Xun and Tibetan director Sonthar Gyal.
Below is the full selection for the 2024 Shanghai International Film Festival.
Main Competition
OWN BATHROOM
Directed by Lucía Casañ Rodríguez
Country/region: Spain
World premiere
MAN AND WOMAN
Directed by GUAN Hu
Country/Region: Mainland, China/Hong Kong
World premiere
ADULT
Directed by: Mariano Gonzalez
Country/region: Argentina
World premiere
ANOTHER STORY OF GERMAN TANKS
Director: Jannis Alexander Kiefer
Country/region: Germany
World premiere
Chasing Johnny
Directed by Baptiste Debraux
Country/region: France
International premiere
DO NOT WORRY BE HAPPY
Directed by WEI Shujun
Country/region: China
World premiere
HEDGEHOG
Directed by GU Changwei
Country/region: China
World premiere
HER SECOND CHANCE
Directed by: Vito Palmieri
Country/region: Italy
International premiere
LIFE IN TWO WORLDS
Directed by: Mipo O
Country/region: Japan
World premiere
SILENCE OF THE SEA
Directed by: Kamar Ahmad Simon
Country/Region: Bangladesh/Germany
World premiere
SNOWFLAKES IN MY YARD
Director: Bakur Bakuradze
Country/region: Georgia/Russia
World premiere
STARS
Directed by ZHANG Dalei
Country/region: China
World premiere
DIVORCE
Directed by Daniyar Salamat
Country/region: Kazakhstan
World premiere
WASTE
Directed by: Ahmad Bahrami
Country/region: Iran
World premiere
Recent Asian talent Competition
3 DAYS, 3 MURDER
Directed by Masoud Amini Tirani
Country/region: Iran
World premiere
A bird with a different feather
Director: Manohara K
Country/region: India
World premiere
WE DREAM ABOUT A MOTHER AND A HOME
Directed by WANG Xinrui
Country/region: China
World premiere
FISH
Directed by ZHANG Xuyu
Country/region: China
World premiere
FRIDAY, FUN
Directed by: ZENG Zhi
Country/region: China
World premiere
HABITAT
Directed by ZHANG Luoping
Country/region: China
World premiere
IN THE NAME OF FIRE
Directed by Abhilash Sharma
Country/region: India
World premiere
LONGER THAN A DAY
Directed by Malika Mukhamejan
Country/Region: Russia/Kazakhstan/Italy
World premiere
ABSENT
Directed by: LU Dan
Country/region: China
World premiere
LOST DAUGHTER
Director: ZANG Lianrong, XU Ruogu
Country/region: China
World premiere
Variability
Directed by: Takuro Ijichi
Country/region: Japan
World premiere
Animated movie
BUFALO CHILDREN
Director: Pedro Solis, Juan Jesus Garcia Galocha “Galo”
Country/region: Spain
Asian premiere
LIFE BIG
Directed by: Kristina Dufková
Country/region: Czech Republic, Slovakia, France
Asian premiere
glazier
Directed by Usman Riaz
Country/Region: Pakistan/United States
Asian premiere
ROYAL CAT
Directed by CAO Liang
Country/region: China
World premiere
COLORS INSIDE
Directed by Naoko Yamada
Country/region: Japan
Asian premiere
Documentary
EVERYTHING AND NOTHING
Directed by Liao I-Ling Chu Po-Ying
Country/region: Taiwan, China
International premiere
GERI’S WISH
Director: Tonislav Hristov
Country/region: Finland Bulgaria
World premiere
MS. HU GARDEN
Directed by: MR. Zhiqi
Country/region: China
World premiere
REQUIEM FOR THE TRIBE
Directed by Marjan Khosravi
Country/Region: Iran/Spain/Qatar
World premiere
LANDSCAPE AND FURY
Directed by: Nicole Voegele
Country/region: Switzerland/Bosnia and Herzegovina
International premiere
