Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) has committed to building a talent ecosystem to support the development of young Chinese filmmakers.
SIFF Young and SIFF Project are some of the key initiatives put in place to connect creativity with the marketplace.
“SIFF was one of the earliest film festivals in mainland China to establish a project market,” says Gu Jiamin, deputy director of SIFF’s industry department. “It has supported a large number of Chinese-language film talents and projects and provided young creators with access to resources and industry connections.”
Launched in 2007, more than 120 feature projects that have taken part in SIFF Project have been completed, with around half screened at top film festivals such as Zou Jing’s A Girl Unknown, which recently premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, and Kangdrun’s Linka Linka, a best film winner at Hong Kong in April.
This year, a record 560 submissions were received with 31 feature film projects selected across five categories: four new talent projects, five genre projects, three co-production projects, nine pre-production projects and 10 work-in-progress projects.
The genre projects category was added in 2025 and drew 169 submissions this year, up 144%, reflecting the growing interest in mainstream storytelling. The genre projects include Eternal Homeland by Sun Aoqian, who made his feature debut with 2019’s Over The Sea, and Murder Television by Tibetan director Jigme Trinley, who debuted in 2021 with the well-received whodunnit One And Four.
The trio of international projects comprise Zhang Yichuan’s China-Italy coproduction Pelican Year, Malaysian director Low Ngai Yuen’s Starfruit, and Juno Hong’s China-Hong Kong coproduction Only The Moon Knows, while pre-production projects include Like Her by Qiao Sixue (2022’s The Cord Of Life) and The Boatman’s Weave by Ka Sing Fung (2022’s Lost Love), produced by acclaimed editor William Chang.
Four projects developed through SIFF Project at script stage return to join the WIP category — Gao Ming’s Two Time Zones, Chen Jianying’s There Will Be Snow, Wintertime In A Small Town by Wu Chu and Gao Xiangyu, and Song Kunru’s Winter Pasture.
Scheduled to take place from June 13-16, SIFF Project has enlisted acclaimed Shanghai-born actress and director Joan Chen to head the mentor panel, which also includes Chinese actress Ma Yili and Malaysian director-screenwriter Sam Quah.
“From script development to production matchmaking, and from early-stage talent support to long-term creative growth, SIFF Project has built a comprehensive development ecosystem,” says Gu. “As one of Asia’s key film festivals, SIFF will continue to contribute to the growth of Chinese-language cinema.”
SIFF Young
The SIFF Young x Shanghai Young Filmmakers Support Programme (SIFF Young in short) was launched in 2021 with five directors including Liang Ming, Rao Xiaozhi and Derek Tsang. The programme has expanded over the intervening years, also taking in producers and screenwriters.
Now in its fifth edition, nine SIFF Young creators were announced during SIFF’s opening weekend on Sunday (June 14), including directors Bai Xue, Su Biao, Teng Congcong, Wang Tong and Xu Lei, producers Hu Jing, Titi and Xie Haochi, and screenwriter Zhou Yunhai.
They were selected by a committee chaired by Dying To Survive director Wen Muye, a SIFF Young alumnus from 2023. A total of 29 filmmakers were selected across in the past four editions, which also included directors Dai Mo, Wen Shipei and Kong Dashan and producers Xie Meng and Xu Jiahan.
SIFF Young is supported by the Shanghai Film Bureau through the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation (SHCDF), which introduced a special grant in 2021 to support projects from SIFF Young creators. These include Shao Yihui’s Her Story and Shen Ao’s Escape From The Outland.
“Many creators from SIFF Young are exploring different genres and screenplays. They are becoming an important new force in Chinese cinema,” says Gu. “SIFF Young is increasingly seen as a leading incubator for emerging Chinese-language filmmakers, with many projects in development and production.”
Works by this year’s SIFF Young creators in post-production include This Is My Time directed by Bai and produced by Xie Haochi; Make Zhonghe Great Again produced by Titi and Xie; Honey Money Phony 2 directed by Su; Sherlock Of China produced by Hu; and Good Job written by Zhou.
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