Three Chinese films vie for Golden Goblet Awards

Organizers of the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival announced the shortlist of nominees for its Golden Goblet Awards section on Monday afternoon, which includes three Chinese films.

A total of 15 films are listed, including "The Return" by Qin Hailu, "Spring Tide" by Yang Lina, and "Vortex" by Jacky Gan.

Outside the main competition section, director Zhang Yang's "The Sound of Dali" is entered for the best documentary film award, while "Spycies" directed by Zhang Ziyi and Guillaume Ivernel is competing for the best animated feature.

The nominations for the 2019 Asian New Talent Award, another part of the Shanghai film festival, also saw three Chinese films in the race for best picture, which include "Send Me to The Clouds" directed by Teng Congcong, "The Fourth Wall" by Zhang Chong and Zhang Bo, and "To Live To Sing" by Ma Nan.

A highlight of this year's Golden Goblet Awards is the strong presence of Belt and Road-related movies, including "The Great Spirit" by Sergio Rubini from Italy, "Castle of Dreams" by Reza Mirkarimi from Iran and "Shyrakshy: Guardian of the Light" by Yermek Tursunov from Kazakhstan.

The film festival launched "The Belt and Road Unit" section at the 18th event in 2015, aiming to increase people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The festival this year will also hold a "Belt and Road Film Week," when 24 productions will be screened.

According to the organizers, they received more than 3,900 applications from 112 countries and regions. Among the films, over 1,800 come from 53 countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

After undergoing the final selection process, the festival from June 15 to 24 will screen about 500 movies from home and abroad, including the "Men In Black" franchise, "Moonwalker," "Akira" and 4K restoration of classics such as "Schindler's List" (1994) and "Cinema Paradiso" (1988), in the city's 47 movie theaters. Tickets will go on sale on June 8.

This year's event will have two opening films for the first time - "The Eight Hundred" by Guan Hu and "Chuan Yue Shi Kong De Hu Huan" by Zhang Jiarui.