Women dominate awards at Shanghai Int’l Film Festival’s Belt & Road Film Night

World Today

Women dominate awards at Shanghai Int'l Film Festival's Belt & Road Film Night

The Shanghai Film Festival (SIFF) is one of the largest in Asia, and it brings together filmmakers and actors from around the world. This year, there was a special focus on the Belt and Road countries. CGTN’s Sun Wei reports.

China’s Yang Mingming and Indonesia’s Kamila Andini took home the Media Choice Awards for their directing in “Girls Always Happy” and “The Seen and Unseen”.

The Media Choice Awards for films went to “Arrhythmia” from Russia and “Daughter of Mine” from Italy. While the Polish production “Silent Night” won the only Audience Choice Award. Those honored were chosen from eight finalists voted on by a full line-up of film industry professionals.

A special tribute was paid to 90-year-old actress Tian Hua. The veteran has devoted more than six decades of her life to acting on screen, and was best loved for playing the lead role in the 1950’s movie “The White-Haired Girl”.

In addition, a few renowned Belt and Road filmmakers told stories of their personal experiences with the Chinese film industry going global.

The Belt and Road Film Night is something like a review and summary of the past Belt and Road Week, during which film festival organizers in about 30 Belt and Road countries and regions have formed a coalition, aiming to share information, recommend films, invite filmmakers and start joint projects.

The SIFF first launched the Silk Road panorama in 2015. Organizers say they have accepted more than 1,300 films from nearly 50 Belt and Road countries and regions this year, with 154 of them screened during the Belt and Road Week.

Meanwhile the film market it created has attracted attention from beyond the Belt and Road regions.

The night was wrapped up with a declaration for the newly-established “Belt and Road” Film Festival Alliance.


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