The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) has long been a hotly anticipated annual event for enthusiastic film fans. 

Returning for its 27th edition, SIFF 2025 runs from June 13-22. We are attending this year’s festival as an accredtied media, and dertermined to bring you some frontline stories.

Tickets were snapped up when sales began on June 5. More than 600 screenings for 92 films were sold out within the first hour of going on sale, while the repeat screening for the yet-to-be-named best director winning film from the main competition of the Golden Goblet Awards sold out in just 26 seconds.

As of June 11, nearly 460,000 tickets had been sold, achieving a new sell-out record of 73%. More than 30% of the tickets were booked from outside Shanghai.

Shanghai, also known as the City of Film, is hailed as the birthplace of Chinese cinema and celebrates its 120th anniversary this year. Chen Guo, managing director of the Shanghai International Film and TV Events Centre, the organisation that runs SIFF, says that this year’s edition “will see a more vibrant and immersive festival atmosphere than ever before”.

Chilean-UK-French co-production film After the Fog has been selected as part of the festival main competition this year.

Directed by Miriam Heard, who was born in St. Asaph, Wales, After the Fog is a historical drama set in 1988 Chile, focusing on the experiences of Chilean citizens following the ousting of dictator Augusto Pinochet after 16 years of military rule.

The film is a Spanish-language drama that explores the perspectives of Chilean citizens during this pivotal period in their history. It offers a glimpse into the lives of individuals as they navigate the transition from a repressive regime to a new era of democracy. The film is a co-production between Chile, the UK, and France, highlighting the international interest in the historical event and its impact on the Chilean people.

After the Fog‘s appearance at the Shanghai International Film Festival will be a World Premiere. We are keen to follow the journey of this UK film and see whether its festival apperance will lead to a nation-wide distribution in mainland China.

Golden Goblet Awards 2025 nominations

Main Competition

After The Fog (Chile-UK-Fr)
Dir. Miriam Heard

Black Red Yellow
Dir. Aktan Arym Kubat (Kyrg)

Cyclone (Bra)
Dir. Flavia Castro

My Father’s Son (China-Fr)
Dir. QIU Sheng

Loss Of Balance (Pol) international premiere
Dir. Korek Bojanowski

Luisa (Ger)
Dir. Julia Roesler

One Wacky Summer (China)
Dir. CAO Baoping

On Summer Sand (Japan)
Dir. Shinya Tamada

The Reborn (Arg-Sp-Chile)
Dir. Santiago Esteves

The Scent Of Things Remembered (Port-Bra)
Dir. António Ferreira

Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts (China)
Dir. WANG Tong

You Believe In Angels, Mr. Drowak? (Ger-Switz)
Dir. Nicolas Steiner

Asian New Talent

As The Water Flows (China)
Dir. BIAN Zhuo

Brand New Landscape (Japan) Asian premiere
Dir. Yuiga Danzuka

Grace For Sale (Turk)
Dir. Gözde Yetişkin, Emre Sert

Kanto (Turk)
Dir. Ensar Altay

Odds Beater (China)
Dir. CHENG Liang

Riverstone (Sri Lanka)
Dir. Lalith Rathnayake

Seven Days (China)
Dir. QIU Yujie

The Daughter (Iran)
Dir. Pourya Kakavand

The Last Summer (China)
Dir. SHI Renfei

Victoria (India) international premiere
Dir. Sivaranjini J

Water Can Go Anywhere (China)
Dir. FANG Liang

Where The Night Stands Still (It-Phil) Asian premiere
Dir. Liryc Dela Cruz

“This year’s edition has set new records, with competition sections receiving over 2,800 submissions from 119 countries and regions, marking notable increases in entries from the Americas and Africa. Short film submissions alone rose 18% year-over-year.” – Variety.