2024 Shanghai International Film and TV festival to kick off in June

A press conference took place on May 14 in Shanghai to brief the details of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival and the 29th Shanghai TV Festival. [Photo/ Shanghai International Film and TV Festival]

The 26th Shanghai International Film Festival will be held from June 14 to 23 with the theme "City of Films", with the Golden Goblet Awards ceremony to be held on June 22 at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, announced the event organizers during a press conference in Shanghai on May 14.

With a global call for submissions, this year's festival has received over 3,700 film entries from 105 countries and regions. Among the 2,224 films submitted for competition, 1,375 are world premieres and 390 are international premieres, showcasing the festival's growing influence on the international stage as a hallmark of Shanghai culture, according to the event organizers.

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations and the China-France Culture and Tourism Year, the festival will feature a French Film Week, highlighting outstanding French works from major international film festivals over the past year. Audiences can expect a diverse perspective on contemporary French cinema, exploring the latest frontiers in film essence and visual boundaries.

Initiated by the Shanghai International Film Festival, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance now boasts 55 member institutions from 48 countries. The Belt and Road Film Week, organized by the alliance in collaboration with Pudong New Area, will focus on Latin American culture this year, continuing its outreach to the Yangtze River Delta region.

Ticket sales for the festival will start at 12:00 pm on June 7 on the Taopiaopiao app, with screenings taking place in 47 cinemas across 16 districts in Shanghai.

Following the film festival, the 29th Shanghai Television Festival will run from June 24 to 28.

The selection of the festival's Magnolia Awards has attracted nearly 1,000 entries from 57 countries and regions across all five continents, according to the event organizers. In the TV drama category, Chinese entries number around 190, while foreign entries have increased from nearly 110 to close to 170, marking a 53.7 percent rise. Entries in the documentary and animation categories have also seen significant growth, with a rising proportion of foreign entries in these competitive segments. Notably, foreign submissions make up 60 percent of the documentary category this year, with renowned international TV networks like BBC, Sony, HBO Warner Discovery, and Disney National Geographic submitting top-quality programs for consideration.

The Magnolia awards ceremony will be held on the evening of June 28 at the Lin-gang Performing Arts Center.

Sources: "shanghaifabu" WeChat account, stvf.com