Tony Leung Chiu-wai opened the international jury press conference for the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival‘s main competition promising to approach the Golden Goblet selection with an open mind – and, where needed, to argue his case.
“Even though the awards process is a team effort, I will do my best to convince them,” said the legendary Hong Kong actor, who is chairing a Chinese film festival jury for the first time. “I’ve always been watching films with such attitude, because this is the only way to see the full perspective of a film. I do need help from all the jury members. As I’ve been focusing on being an actor in the past 40 years, I can take advice from a director’s or a fellow actor’s point of view, which is different from mine.”
The international jury also includes Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, Chinese director Guan Hu, Kyrgyz director Aktan Arym Kubat, Georgian filmmaker Déa Kulumbegashvili, Mexican filmmaker Fernanda Valadez, and Chinese actress Xin Zhilei.
Bouchoucha, the sole African jury member, reflected on independent, lower-budget productions – a common reality in her home region, and one represented in the Golden Goblet selection by the Egyptian title “Happy Birthday.” “Resources are important,” she said, “but the most important thing is the talent, the acting, the cinematographic proposal of the director.”
