What UK films have been selected for this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival?
Cinemas were allowed to re-open on July 20 in China, and the Shanghai International Film Festival (July 25 – Aug 2) will be the first major film event to take place in a physical form this year.
It is the third year that I have been following the selection and reception of UK films at the Shanghai International Film Festival. For observation and findings from the previous two years, you may revisit the articles which were published back in 2018 and 2019 retrospectively (“The Reception of British Films at Shanghai International Film Festival 2018 and Modern Cultural Diplomacy” & “UK Films at Shanghai International Film Festival 2019 and Cultural Diplomacy”). A similar audience survey will be conducted as well as a qualitative analysis of online public comments throughout the festival period.
The Shanghai International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film events in China, also the only one that has been included in the so called “A-list” in the country. According to the previous surveys, the audience in China continues to be confused and uncertain about what to expect from a UK film or what a UK film is. Apart from extremely knowledgable cinephiles, the general audience seems not to have an understanding of what the characteristics or unique factors that British cinema has, neither its development throughout history. There are cultural relations strategies where this weakness can be improved but it will be explored later on after this year’s audience survey and evaluation.
What UK films have been selected for this year’s festival? (including co-productions with UK as the official production country).
24 films in total.
Short Films
Anna (2019), dir. Dekel Berenson
Luxor (2020), dir. Zeina Durra
November 1st (2019), dir. Charlie Manton
Feature Films
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), dir. Chris Columbus
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), dir. Chris Columbus
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), dir. Alfonso Cuarón
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), dir. Mike Newell
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), dir, David Yates
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), dir. David Yates
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), dir. David Yates
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), dir. David Yates
1917 (2019), dir. Sam Mendes
Sea Fever (2019), dir. Neasa Hardiman
Ordinary Love (2019), dir. Lisa Barros D’sa & Glenn Leyburn
Hope Gap (2019), dir. William Nicholson
The Bay of Silence (2020), dir. Paula van der Oest
Resistance (2020), dir. Jonathan Jakubowicz
Bombay Rose (2019), dir. Gitanjali Rao
The Constant Gardener (2005), dir. Fernando Meirelles
Documentary
XY Chelsea (2019), dir. Tim Travers Hawkins
Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema 1+4 (2018), dir. Mark Cousins
Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema 6+14 (2018), dir. Mark Cousins
He Dreams of Giants (2019), dir. Keith Fulton & Louis Pepe
Billie (2019), dir. James Erskine
All these films above have been selected for screening. This year, no UK film has been selected for the official competition. Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep (2019) has been listed as a UK film on the Shanghai International Film Festival’s website, but it is a US production, apart from having a Scottish lead actor.
The UK-China Film Collab will continue to advocate and support more films submissions from the UK to this specific festival in the future, please do get in touch if you are interested in an adventure.
