The 11th Shanghai International Film Festival, scheduled for June 11 to 19, will highlight a number of Chinese movies and for the first time a new Special Achievements Award will be given to Chinese directors to mark the country's first century of filmmaking.

Two directors, one from the Chinese mainland and the other from Hong Kong whose productions have enjoyed international acclaim will be named as recipients.

"This award is to be given this year only, to salute those who have made great contributions to the Chinese film industry in the past 100 years," said Chen Xiaomeng, executive secretary general of the festival's organizing committee. "So it is not a fixed one, but purely honorary."

Thirteen films produced in the 1930s in Shanghai, cradle of China's film industry, will be shown during the festival with English subtitles. And an additional 40 new Chinese productions will make their debut.

During the nine-day festival, an international forum on Chinese kung fu films will be held, which Hong Kong star Jacky Chan is expected to attend.

"The first century of China's film industry has shown that productions featuring more Chinese characteristics are more likely to be successful globally," said Ren Qian, director of the Department for the Development of Film Industry at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

Among the foreign entries, 17 out of 503 feature films from 49 countries, including Young Anderson from Denmark and The Village Album from Japan, have been selected as finalists for the top Golden Goblet award.

Ten movies from eight Asian countries including Manasarova by Indian director Anup Kurian and Story Undone by Hassan Yektapanah from Iran will compete for Asian New Talent Awards, said Chen.

Although no Hollywood productions are featured at the festival they tend to be "too commercialized to suit the artistic criteria of the festival's films," said Chen Xiaomeng an American blockbuster will premiere here. But Chen was not able to elaborate on the movie as the final choice has yet to be made.

A parallel event to the film fest, the 10th Shanghai Television Festival will be held from June 11 to 15. Fourteen made-for-television drama series from nine countries, including Destiny from Israel and Dad from the UK, and 26 documentaries from 17 nations, including Riddles of The Dead-Einstein's Genius from the United States, will compete for the Magnolia Awards.

Todd Leavitt, president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in the United States, will join the TV festival panel of judges.

During the event, 200 screenings will be arranged in 17 theatres for an estimated audience of 300,000.

(China Daily May 26, 2005)