Tony Leung Chiu-wai opened the international jury press conference for the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival‘s main competition promising to approach the Golden Goblet selection with an open mind – and, where needed, to argue his case.
“Even though the awards process is a team effort, I will do my best to convince them,” said the legendary Hong Kong actor, who is chairing a Chinese film festival jury for the first time. “I’ve always been watching films with such attitude, because this is the only way to see the full perspective of a film. I do need help from all the jury members. As I’ve been focusing on being an actor in the past 40 years, I can take advice from a director’s or a fellow actor’s point of view, which is different from mine.”
The international jury also includes Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, Chinese director Guan Hu, Kyrgyz director Aktan Arym Kubat, Georgian filmmaker Déa Kulumbegashvili, Mexican filmmaker Fernanda Valadez, and Chinese actress Xin Zhilei.
Bouchoucha, the sole African jury member, reflected on independent, lower-budget productions – a common reality in her home region, and one represented in the Golden Goblet selection by the Egyptian title “Happy Birthday.” “Resources are important,” she said, “but the most important thing is the talent, the acting, the cinematographic proposal of the director.”
Guan, whose film “Black Dog” won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes, said he expects the competition to deliver work with strong sensory and cinematic impact. “One of the primary functions of film is cultural communication,” he said. “I think good films need no words to explain what they are; they can just touch all of us.”
Kubat, returning to Shanghai for the third time after winning the Golden Goblet Award last year with “Black Red Yellow,” drew a laugh when reflecting on the shift from competitor to juror. “If I had not won, I would think the juries had bad taste,” he joked. “I will do my best to make this year’s competitors feel that we are good jurors, not bad ones.”
A newcomer to the festival, Kulumbegashvili found Shanghai highly welcoming and expressed a desire to experience the city as much as possible. Acknowledging that the screening schedule is packed, she noted that formal sightseeing might not be feasible, but added: “Just walking the streets and trying to experience the daily life is more important for me than just going to landmark places.”
Valadez addressed the global spotlight currently shining on Latin American cinema. “I think what’s very exciting lately in Latin America is that filmmakers are looking for new genres and ways of telling stories,” the filmmaker said. “I think the more authentic filmmakers are, the more particular, the better the capacity to talk to a global audience.”
Xin, who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival last year for her role in “The Sun Rises on Us All,” admitted that this marks her first time serving on a festival jury. “Such responsibility feels slightly stressful, but it’s a great honor. I will do my best to fulfill the duty,” she said.
The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival runs June 12–22, with the Golden Goblet Awards to be presented at the closing ceremony on June 20.
