BEIJING — The Shanghai International Film Festival unveiled its competition lineup on Thursday but kept the opening and closing films of the event’s 13th edition under wraps.
Running from June 12-20, the festival expects to draw its largest-ever audience, coinciding as it does with the Shanghai Expo, the giant global trade show forecast to draw millions of visitors to China’s biggest city.
Competing this year for the golden goblet, or Jin Jue Award, are films such as “Circuit,” from Spanish director Xavier Ribera, “Czukor Show,” from Hungarian Tamás Dömötör, and “Ocean Heaven” — Chinese director Xue Xiaolu’s film about autism starring Jet Li in his first non-martial arts role.
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“The standard of the movies has increased, with record numbers of quality films with rich content displaying diverse styles and excellent workmanship being entered,” said Tang Lijun, SIFF director.
In keeping with past years, SIFF programmers appear again to have had trouble attracting major world premiere titles to the event, which falls right on the heels of the Cannes Film Festival in France.
Hong Kong Chinese director John Woo will lead the SIFF’s main jury, which also includes Israeli director Amos Gitai (“Berlin Jerusalem”)i, Japanese director Yokiro Takita (“Departures”), American writer, producer, director Bill Guttentag (“Nanjing”), and Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai (“Chongqing Blues”).
Two additional jurists will be announced next week, organizers said.
Organizers promised China’s A-list movie-world regulars would walk the event’s red carpet — from actresses such as Fan Bingbing and Yu Nan to directors Chen Kaige, Feng Xiaogang and 2010 Cannes competitor Wang, whose “Chongqing Blues” could open or close the festival, some industry watchers believe.
Competitors for the 2010 Asian New Talent Award include “Red Dragonflies,” by Jiekai Liao of Singapore, “Crossing the Mountain,” from China’s Yang Rui, and “Goodbye Mom,” from South Korea’s Jeong Gi-hoon.
Members of the New Asian Talent jury are:
Hong Kong actress Charlie Yeung, 12th SIFF Jin Jue-winning director Pema Tseden, an ethnic Tibetan, Korean writer-director Hur Jin-ho (“One Fine Spring Day”), Japanese Shozo Ichiyama, produdcer of several of Jia Zhangke’s films, and British producer, director and cinematographer Phil Agland, whose series about China, “Beyond the Clouds,” winner of BAFTAs and three Emmys.
Following is a list of the the information currently available about the competition line-up of the 13th SIFF.
Jin Jue competition titles:
“Circuit,” Xavier Ribera, Spain;
“Czukor Show,” Tamás Dömötör, Hungary, Sweden;
“Deep in the Clouds,” Liu Jie, China;
“Detour,” Sylvain Guy, Canada;
“Kiss Me Again,” Gabriele Muccino, Italy;
“La Prima Cosabella,” Paolo Virzì, Italy;
“Ocean Heaven,” Xue Xiaolu, China;
“Ondine,” Neil Jordan, Ireland;
“Partners,” Masaru Shimomura, Japan;
“Payback,” Tahmineh Milani, Iran;
“The Last Escape,” Leo Pool, Canada;
“The Rowan Waltz,” Alyona Semenova and Alexander Smirnov, Russia;
“Time of Fear,” Sergio Rezende, Brazil;
“Un-Authorized,” Elia Schneider, Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Uruguay;
“Wedding Fever in Campobello,” Neele Leana Vollmar, Germany, Italy;
“Zonad,” John Carney and Kieran Carney, Ireland;
Asian New Talent Awards titles:
“Cast Me if You Can,” Atsushi Ogata, Japan;
“Crossing the Mountain,” Yang Rui, China;
“Goodbye Mom,” Jeong Gi-hoon, South Korea;
“Lan,” Jiang Wenli, China;
“Red Dragonflies,” Jiekai Liao, Singapore;
“The Blue Mansion,” Glen Goei, Singapore/Malaysia;
“The Executioner,” Choi Jin-ho, South Korea;
“The Legend is Alive,” Luu Huynh, Vietnam;
“The Pawnshop,” Milo Sogueco, Philippines;
“Time Traveler,” Masaaki Taniguichi, Japan;
