BELATED DEBUT: Ten Alfred Hitchcock films will make their China bows at the Shanghai fest.
The Shanghai Film Festival functions as a film master class for China's auds, hungry for instruction in the cinema they don't often get to see. Between June 13 and 21, the event's 12th edition will screen 1,925 films, of which 1,270 are full-length features.
The fest showcases several themes this year. Ten movies by master helmer Alfred Hitchcock will make their China bows, as will six films by France's Isabelle Huppert.
Fest also will feature the work of Korean director Im Kwon-taek, and its arthouse side will serve up pics by French New Wave auteurs Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard to mark the 50-year anniversary of the Gallic movement.
At the heart of the fest is the Jin Jue (Golden Goblet) award, for which 16 films will vie. These include Christina Yao's China/Hong Kong/Taiwan co-prod "Empire of Silver," with Hong Kong star Aaron Kwok; and Tibetan helmer Wanma Caidan's "Soul Searching."
Other titles competing include Andre Techine's latest outing, "The Girl on the Train."
The fest will also feature an Asian New Talent event, with nine entries from India, Iran, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore and China.
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