As the esteemed head of the jury at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) and an Oscar-winning filmmaker myself, Giuseppe Tornatore, I’m eagerly anticipating discovering films that resonate deeply with my heart as we determine this year’s Golden Goblet Award recipients.
During the Shanghai jury’s meeting with international media on Friday, Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore expressed that whenever he steps into a movie theater and closes his eyes, he is transported back to the sensation of being an audience member. He always longs for the movie to offer him a delightful surprise each time he visits the cinema. This acclaimed director, who won an Academy Award for Cinema Paradiso (1988), shared that this enchantment with films is what he aims to recapture throughout the 10-day span of SIFF.
Whenever I visit a theater to catch a film, I prefer not to have any set ideas or particular predictions about what I’m going to watch,” stated the filmmaker. “Selecting the winner among us judges should ideally be straightforward. The movie that wins an award ought to resonate deeply with each judge’s emotions. From this perspective, the selection process seems quite uncomplicated.
Tornatore is part of the main jury in Shanghai, accompanied by a group of three Chinese talents: directors Yang Lina and Huang Bo, as well as actress Yong Mei. They are joined by Argentinian filmmaker Iván Fund, Greek producer Thanassis Karathanos, and Indian director Kiran Rao.
As a gamer, I’m part of a team tasked with picking one game from a selection of twelve incredibly varied titles, hailing from different corners of the globe. These games have been carefully chosen, having been shortlisted from an impressive 3,900 submissions, as confirmed by the festival organizers.
Locally, Chinese director Wang Tong’s innovative film “Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts” has sparked the loudest discussions this week at SIFF’s pre-festival screenings. This genre-blending production combines noir elements with a realistic portrayal of society. Other Chinese films in the main competition include Cao Baoping’s much-anticipated comedy “One Wacky Summer” and Qiu Sheng’s domestic drama “My Father’s Son”.
SIFF (Shanghai International Film Festival) enthusiastically showcases itself as a gateway to the rising talents and trends within Chinese cinema. The festival plans to exhibit approximately 60 films in Chinese languages across its five competitions, featuring several world premieres and restored masterpieces. Intriguingly, the Golden Goblet jury eagerly looks forward to examining these cinematic works.
Huang expressed his joy about three Chinese films getting nominated this time, acknowledging that many other outstanding global films have also been recognized. He noted that the variety in nominations contributes to an honest final result. He used the analogy of different flavors in drinks – some prefer spicy, sweet, salty, or bitter – implying that a balance is crucial for fairness. This balance, he said, fosters a sense of objectivity, making everyone feel more rational.
Additionally, there’s an early excitement building up for Swiss filmmaker Nicolas Steiner’s captivating exploration into magical realism titled “You Believe in Angels, Mr. Drowak” (Germany, Switzerland), Bojanowski’s nail-biting theatre-based drama “Loss of Balance” from Poland, and the Portuguese-Brazilian production “The Scent of Things Remembered“, directed by António Ferreira. This last film features the talented José Martins in a powerful role as a former soldier who must face his inner demons.
The lineup is rounded off with a variety of international films: “After the Fog” from British-German director Miriam Heard (a Chilean-UK-French production), “Black Red Yellow” by Kyrgyzstan’s Aktan Arym Kubat, “Cyclone” directed by Brazil’s Flavia Castro, Germany’s “Luisa” from Julia Roesler, Japan’s “On Summer Sand” by Shinya Tamada, and the Argentina-Spain-Chile collaboration “The Reborn” from Santiago Esteves.
Rao stated during yesterday’s press conference that the films being presented are undoubtedly among the top movies produced globally this year. As a result, we’re likely to have a challenging decision ahead of us due to the abundance of excellent choices. However, there’s an array of fantastic films for us to watch and delight in.
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2025-06-13 12:24