If you took a little look offstage, beyond the glamour of the Shanghai International Film Festival’s gala opening on Saturday night, the very nature of this year’s program revealed itself in the cast and crew members gathered at the Shanghai Grand Theater.
First-time director Keane T.K. Wong was on hand, his psychological drama Afterpiece having been chosen to open the big event — which runs across this sprawling metropolis until June 21 — and in the lead-up the Hong Kong filmmaker was quick to praise the support for emerging Chinese-language filmmaking talent, much of it on display at this year’s SIFF.
“My first reaction was surprise,” Wong said of the selection. “For a feature film debut to be selected as the opening film of SIFF is a high recognition of the film and a great honor for me personally. I am very grateful to everyone in front of and behind the camera.”
There were nods to veteran producer Derek Yee and the film’s stars Stephen Fung, Angela Yuen, Myolie Wu and Chrissie Chau, as well as to the Hong Kong government’s Directors’ Succession Scheme, which paired Wong with Yee. “It is this trust in newcomers that made this film possible,” said Wong.
SIFF itself can point to a long list of its own initiatives this year as proof that it is also looking to support Chinese cinema’s next generation — among them the SIFF ING Young Filmmakers Program, the SIFF NEXT Film Project Training Camp and the SIFF YOUNG × Shanghai Young Filmmakers Support Program, which counts industry veterans Joan Chen and Wen Muye as mentor and juror, respectively.
