The 24th edition of the Shanghai International Film Festival will be held between June 11 and 20, showcasing 435 films from around the world.

This year, only one “British” short film “A Firecracker Story” (a graduation film by a Chinese student Zhizi Hao who is studying a MA programme at London Film School) has been selected as part of the Official Competition (Short Film Category). Hao is also a winner of the BAFTA UK-China Scholarship. Other selections for the Official Screening include the followings:

  1. The African Queen (1951), dir. John Huston
  2. The Mission (1986), dir. Roland Joffé
  3. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), dir. Nagisa Ōshima
  4. Absolute Denial (2021), dir. by Ryan Braund
  5. Wolfwalkers (2020), dir. Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart
  6. Maya (2020), dir. Jamshid Mojaddadi & Anson Hartford
  7. African Apocalypse (2020), dir. Rob Lemkin
  8. Misbehaviour (2020), dir. Philippa Lowthorpe
  9. A Brixton Tale (2021), dir.  Darragh Carey & Bertrand Desrochers
  10. Promising Young Woman (2020), dir. Emerald Fennell
  11. The Mauritanian (2021), dir. Kevin MacDonald
  12. The Bike Thief (2020), dir. Matt Chambers
  13. Emma (2020), dir. Autumn de Wilde
  14. Falling (2020), dir. Viggo Mortensen
  15. Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm (2020), dir. Hannah Berryman
  16. Eye of the Storm (2021), dir. Anthony Baxter
  17. Hotel 66 (2010), dir. Anthony Chen
  18. Lighthouse (2010), dir. Anthony Chen
  19. Distance (2009), dir. Anthony Chen
  20. A Firecracker Story (2021), dir. Zhizi Hao

Several countries have secured a Retrospective section dedicated to their national film masters, such as Hungary, Japan, Russia, France, Italy and Thailand. The UK continues to be absent for several years in securing a film master slot at China’s largest and the most prestigious film festival.