The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival‘s SIFF ING section wrapped its new Mobile Filmmaking Camp, with 10 short films shot entirely on iPhone by emerging Chinese directors screened both on-site in Shanghai and online.
Launched as a new featured initiative within the 2026 SIFF ING section, the camp selected its 10 participants through an open call and provided each with professional iPhone filmmaking equipment, production funding and technical mentorship. The program covered the full production cycle from development through filming, festival screening and industry exchange, positioning itself as a structured pathway for early-career directors to develop their cinematic voices.
The 10 resulting short films span a wide tonal range. Ding Ding’s “One Way Out” follows a city drifter who embarks on a surreal adventure after picking up an unusual passenger. Li Chenxi’s “The Lobster” imagines an encounter between human and artificial life forms. Yang Xiaoman’s “A One and A Two” centers on a mother and daughter sorting through a deceased man’s belongings in what becomes an unexpected reunion with him. Wu Xinyu’s “Days With You” tracks two women who spend three days role-playing as mother and daughter before parting with candid confessions.
