Shanghai Film Festival unveils competition lineup

PanARMENIAN.Net - Titles including Werner Herzog’s “Salt And Fire,” Bruce Beresford’s “Mr. Church” and “Coke and Bull” directed by Chinese rocker Cao Baoping are among the highlights of the main competition line up for the Shanghai International Film Festival. The festival runs June 11-19, 2016, Variety reports.

A jury headed by Serbian director Emir Kusturica will decide the winner, who will receive a Golden Goblet (aka Jinjue) Award. Other jurors include Atom Egoyan, Daniele Luchetti, Pema Tseden, Karena Lam, Abderrahmane Sissako, and Yan Geling.

Other competition titles include Ulrich Thomsen’s “In Embryo,” “Soul on a String” by Zhang Yang and “The Projects” directed by Sakamoto Junji. The animation section includes “April and the Extraordinary World” and Takahashi Shigeruharu’s “Yokai Watch,” while the documentary section includes Sweden’s “The Girl Who Saved My Life.”

Beyond the main competition the festival ranges from the sublime to the more commonplace.

Like several other festivals this year, Shanghai is putting on a selection of Shakespeare-related films, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the death of playwright William Shakespeare. Veteran British actor Ian McKellen will be on hand to hold a discussion about his 1995 “Richard III.”

The multiple other tribute sections are variously dedicated to Woody Allen, Luchino Visconti and Andrei Tarkovsky, restored classics and the films of the late Hong Kong star Leslie Cheung.

A selection of Oscar-winning titles includes: “Spotlight,” “The Big Short,” “Room,” “Bridge of Spies,” “The Danish Girl,” “Steve Jobs,” and “Joy.”

According to Chinese media, seven James Bond movies and all eight “Harry Potter” movies will also play. The “Jackie Chan Action Movie Week,” a collection endorsed by the kung fu star, also returns for its second year.