The mini film section of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival announced the lineup of the mentoring group today. Well-known photographer and director of photography Zhao Xiaoding serves as the chairman of the mentoring group, screenwriter Jia Jiawei, British screenwriter and director Luo Fei, animation director Wang Maomao, director Wu Lang ( In alphabetical order of last name) serve as mentors to jointly help discover new talents and unearth new works.

In order to be more based on the film itself, the original short video section of the Shanghai International Film Festival was officially renamed as the mini film section on the occasion of its fifth edition this year.

As one of the main sections of the Shanghai International Film Festival and the basic link of the festival's "6+1" stepped newcomer cultivation system, the renamed mini film unit will continue to adhere to its original intention, continue to enrich the main content, continue to innovate the content of activities, and create More opportunities for mutual learning will attract more young filmmakers to participate in exchanges, pave the way for them to realize their dreams of feature films, and help more young filmmakers continue to advance towards movies.

Zhao Xiaoding

Zhao Xiaoding

Director, Cinematographer, Director of Photography

Vice President of China Film and Television Photographers Society

Graduated from the Photography Department of Beijing Film Academy. He has served as the director of photography for films such as "Hero", "House of Flying Daggers", "The City of Golden Armor", "The Thirteen Hairpins", "Return", "Shadow", "On the Cliff", "Sniper", etc., and participated in the Beijing Olympic bid promotional film, Photography work for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and other projects. The work has won domestic and international nominations and awards such as the China Film Golden Rooster Award for Best Cinematography, the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography.

Jia Jiawei

Jia Jiawei

screenwriter

He graduated from Communication University of China with a bachelor's degree in drama and film and television literature, and later received a master's degree in ethnography and documentary from University College London. He has rich experience in creating theatrical films. His representative works include the movies "Why is the Shengxiao Silent", "I Care about You", "Send You a Little Red Flower", etc. Among them, the movie "Send You a Little Red Flower" was nominated for the 34th China It was nominated for 4 important Golden Rooster Awards, Best Feature Film at the 36th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Awards, and won many film festival awards such as the Outstanding Feature Film Award at the 19th China Film Huabiao Awards.

Luo Fei

Arthur Jones

Documentary director, screenwriter

Graduated from Cambridge University in the UK with a Master of Arts degree. He has worked and lived in China for more than 20 years. He has filmed for National Geographic Channel, BBC, Discovery Channel and CCTV. His representative work "Six - Chinese Survivors of Titanic" was produced by James Cameron and won the Beijing International Film Festival Documentary Jury Special Recommendation Award, the China Documentary Academy Award Jury Grand Prize, and Best Editing.

Wang Maomao

Momo Wang

Animation director, cartoonist

Currently serves as animation and creative director of Illumination Entertainment. His representative work "Peng Lai" was selected for the 2023 Oscar animated short list. The film was dubbed by Scarlett Johansson and produced by Illumination Entertainment/Universal Pictures. Previously, the animated character "Tuzki" created by her has become one of the most recognized brand characters in the world. In 2022, she became the first animation director to enter the Asian Hall of Fame.

Wu Lang

Wu Lang

Director, screenwriter

Graduated from the Sculpture Department of the Academy of Fine Arts of Hainan University, and started working as a film director and screenwriter in 2013. In 2019, his feature film "Snow Cloud" was selected for the Shanghai International Film Festival Film Project Venture Capital and won the honor of "Special Recommendation Project by the Jury". In 2021, "Snow Cloud" was shortlisted for the main competition short film unit of the 74th Cannes Film Festival; in the same year, it won the best short film at the 22nd Milan International Film Festival; in 2022, the feature film of the same name "Snow Cloud" was completed and won the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. Nominated for Best Film in the Adventure Section of the International Film Festival. In 2023, the new short film "Short Story" was shortlisted for the short film competition unit of the 80th Venice International Film Festival. He explores memory and the visual interpretation of multiple cultures in his works, which are full of personal visual style.

The previous four filmmakers who have served as mentors for this unit include: director/actor Sandra Ng, actor Chen Bolin, directors Mai Zi, Zhou Shengwei, directors Zhou Ziyang, Liu Kuo, screenwriter Yuan Yuan, actor Li Meng, directors Ding Sheng, Cheng Teng, screenwriter A Mei , actor Qi Xi, directors Chen Cuimei, Dong Yue, Chen Liaoyu, screenwriter Chen Shu, etc.

This year’s mini film section received more than 1,300 domestic and overseas entries from more than 70 countries and regions, showing younger, richer, more diverse and exploratory creative features. The 50 candidate works will be announced in the near future. After review by this year’s mentoring group, 20 outstanding works will eventually be selected.

The mini film unit series of activities will be held from June 20th to 22nd. The creators of 20 outstanding works will be invited to Shanghai to participate in official activities such as the Honor Award and Mentor Forum, Discovery Classroom, Screening Salon, Golden Goblet Award Ceremony and Red Carpet Ceremony.

In June this year, meet in Shanghai and see the future of film in five minutes!