Shanghai International Film Festival Announces Low-Voltage Jury

Once China’s most prominent festival, Shanghai appears to be taking a back seat to the April event in Beijing.

Actress Xu Qing.

The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), set for June 17-26, on Friday announced the jury for its Golden Goblet competition, a distinguished but somewhat less star-studded group than for April’s Beijing International Film Festival (BIFF).

Director Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) of Romania will preside over the jury, which also includes producer Gary Michael Walters (Whiplash), Chinese actress Xu Qing (Looper), director Cao Baoping (The Equation of Love and Death), screenwriter Li Qiang, filmmaker Milcho Manchevski (Before The Rain), and Japanese director Hiroyuki Tanaka, perhaps better known as SABU (Postman Blues), round out the group.

BIFF’s jury featured Oscar winner Bille August, Lion King director Rob Minkoff, and French actor Jean Reno.

Eight films in competition have so far been announced: Reminiscence (Japan); Brigsby Bear (United States); Fault Condition (Romania); I’m A Killer (Poland); Kharms (Russia); Mad to be Normal (United Kingdom); My Brother Simple (Germany); and Our Time Will Come (Hong Kong), by Ann Hui.

The festival will also give awards for documentary films and animation. Our Time Will Come will be the festival’s opener, according to state-run media reports.