The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival has opened with Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu-wai serving as jury president for the Golden Goblet Awards, giving added prestige to an edition that continues to underscore SIFF’s status as mainland China’s only FIAPF-recognized A-list film festival. Leung, one of Asia’s most acclaimed actors, brings major international attention to the event, which this year features 12 world premieres in the Main Competition and more than 420 films selected from roughly 4,100 submissions across 125 countries.
Festival organizers said the 2026 program was shaped by both artistic quality and premiere status, while also seeking broader geographic, gender and generational representation. The result is a wide-ranging selection that includes films from China, Morocco, Germany and other countries, reflecting a mix of styles and themes across the competition and parallel sections.
SIFF has also used this year’s edition to mark several major anniversaries through special retrospectives and tribute screenings. Among them are a salute to British director Ken Loach on his 90th birthday and a joint program honoring Billy Wilder’s 120th birth anniversary alongside Marilyn Monroe’s centenary. Festival officials said the pairing was a natural choice because of the enduring creative connection between Wilder and Monroe. Chinese cinema is represented through tributes to filmmakers including Sang Hu, Huang Zuolin and Shen Yaoting.
In addition to film history, the festival is emphasizing cultural diplomacy. A special Egyptian Film Week is being held to mark 70 years of China-Egypt diplomatic relations, while SIFF continues to expand its Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance. Organizers say these themed programs are intended not only as cultural showcases but also as a platform for deeper, long-term cooperation between filmmakers and institutions across participating countries.
The festival is also placing strong focus on talent development through its Three-Pillar system: SIFF PROJECT, SIFF ING and SIFF YOUNG. The structure is designed to support filmmakers from early project incubation to market exposure and international visibility. SIFF YOUNG, now in its fifth edition, has become an important incubator for commercial Chinese-language cinema. Filmmaker Wen Muye, who took part in the program in 2023, is returning this year to lead its Final Recommendation Committee.
Technology remains another major theme. SIFF is presenting special sections devoted to Imax, Dolby Vision and 4K restorations, highlighting both premium exhibition formats and the preservation of classic cinema. Festival organizers said these offerings are meant to enhance the viewing experience for modern audiences while helping older works find new life through restoration. Still, they stressed that technology is only part of the equation. Strong storytelling, they said, remains the core of cinema and the key to attracting audiences back to theaters.
The opening and closing films reflect that balance between artistic expression and spectacle. The festival began with “Afterpiece,” a Hong Kong drama directed by Keane T.K. Wong about a struggling filmmaker attempting to reclaim his dignity through a new stage production. It will close with “The Decisive Moment,” a science-fiction thriller about Chinese astronauts confronting dangerous emergencies in space. The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival runs through June 21.
