On the evening of February 17, local time, the "Chinese Film Night - 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival Berlin Promotion Conference" was held at the European Film Market. This is the first overseas promotion event held by the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2025, and it is also the first time that the Shanghai International Film Festival has entered Berlin again after a lapse of 9 years. It has opened a window for world film practitioners to gain an in-depth understanding of the Shanghai International Film Festival, and has also built a bridge of light and shadow for exploring the Chinese film market and seeking cooperation.
More than 150 representatives attended the promotion meeting, including Jerzy Skolimowski, Chairman of the Jury of the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet Award in 2023, Polish director, screenwriter, producer, actor and painter, Naozo Ichiyama, 2010 Asian Newcomer Unit Jury and Tokyo International Film Festival Selection Director, Marco Mueller, 2021 Golden Goblet Award Main Competition Unit Jury, producer and film critic, Florence Girot, Senior Director of Film Festivals of the International Association of Film Producers, Wen Yan, 2023 Golden Goblet Award Main Competition Unit Jury, director, screenwriter and producer, and other old friends of the Shanghai International Film Festival, Chinese and foreign filmmakers, guests, media reporters, etc., with more than 90% of the guests being overseas.
The 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival Berlin Promotion Conference
The Chinese film market has a strong start in 2025. Data shows that the total box office of the 2025 Spring Festival (January 28-February 4) reached 9.51 billion yuan, with a total of 187 million moviegoers, breaking the record for the box office and number of moviegoers in the Spring Festival in Chinese film history. As of 21:14 on February 16, the total box office of Chinese cinema films in 2025 (including pre-sales in real time) has exceeded 20 billion yuan, breaking the record for the fastest annual box office of 20 billion in Chinese film history. From the perspective of individual films, "Nezha: The Devil Boy Conquers the Dragon King" has repeatedly broken records, setting off a wave of movie-watching at home and abroad. As of press time, the total box office of the film has reached 12.185 billion yuan, temporarily ranking 9th on the global box office list.
Cao Yin, deputy director of the Shanghai International Film and Television Festival Center and deputy general manager of Shanghai International Film and Television Festival Co., Ltd., shared the outstanding achievements of the "strongest Spring Festival period in history" in 2025, promoting the strong vitality and huge potential of the Chinese film market, as well as the enthusiasm and demand of Chinese audiences for good movies. This has provided new opportunities and injected new impetus for more outstanding international films to enter China.
Cao Yin, Deputy Director of Shanghai International Film and Television Festival Center and Deputy General Manager of Shanghai International Film and Television Festival Co., Ltd.
As the birthplace of Chinese film, Shanghai has rich film resources and is known as the cradle of Chinese film. Although it has gone through a hundred years, Shanghai, with its profound historical and cultural heritage and geographical advantages, is constantly renewing and growing, nurturing an endless film power, and has become a veritable "film city" that connects the past and the present, and the East and the West. It has always stood at the forefront of the development of world film and has made "an appointment with light and shadow" with filmmakers and audiences from all over the world.
The Shanghai International Film Festival was founded in 1993; in 1994, it was certified by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations and became China's first and only non-specialized competitive international film festival (i.e., international Class A film festival). As one of the world's most important international film festivals and the "golden business card" of Shanghai culture, the Shanghai International Film Festival, under the guidance of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, has been committed to providing global filmmakers with an efficient platform to showcase excellent works, find partners, promote industrial exchanges and cooperation, and promote mutual learning among civilizations, and to promote the construction of an open, inclusive, diverse, collaborative, and united film development pattern.
The 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival Berlin Promotion Conference
Against the backdrop of China's film industry shifting from high-speed growth to high-quality development, the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, to be held in 2024, received applications from 105 countries and regions, with a total of more than 3,700 films, and the world premiere rate of the Golden Goblet Award shortlisted films reached 76%; more than 460 Chinese and foreign films were screened, with a total of 1,672 screenings and more than 495,000 moviegoers. Making friends through movies is a consistent tradition of the Shanghai International Film Festival, and it is also a beautiful scene that can be seen everywhere in this film festival.
At the Berlin Promotion Conference, Cao Yin introduced that the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival will be held from June 13 to 22, 2025. The Golden Goblet Award will uphold professionalism and conduct awards in five categories: the main competition, Asian newcomer unit, documentary, animation and short film. She extended a warm invitation to filmmakers around the world, "Welcome to SIFF to experience the charm of the Chinese film market and the enthusiasm of Chinese moviegoers, and jointly promote exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and world films", and reminded that the deadline for submission of films for the Golden Goblet Award and international film screenings is March 31.
She also said that the Shanghai International Film Festival has long supported the screening of participating films in Chinese theaters and new media distribution, and the international films introduced to China for public screening have also achieved good box office results. According to statistics, among the works participating in or exhibiting the Shanghai International Film Festival since 2024, 15 films including "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru", "Perfect Days", "Looking Back", and "Life of Cat" have been released in Chinese theaters or scheduled. It is worth mentioning that the film "The Color of You", directed by Japanese director Naoko Yamada, which won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Animation at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, will be officially released in mainland China on February 21.
The 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival Berlin Promotion Conference
While striving to "bring in", the Shanghai International Film Festival is also actively recommending excellent Chinese films to "go out". The "Belt and Road" Film Festival Alliance, initiated by the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2018, has expanded from 31 film organizations in the first batch of 29 countries to 55 organizations in 48 countries. The member organizations of the alliance use film as a carrier to jointly draw a beautiful blueprint for film and cultural exchange and cooperation. Since 2018, more than 50 Chinese films have been screened at overseas international film festivals through this tour mechanism, promoting international exchanges, cooperation and mutual learning.
The promotion meeting was held during the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. Many old friends of the Shanghai International Film Festival attended the promotion meeting and were full of expectations for the future development of the Chinese film market and the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival.
Jerzy Skolimowski, Chairman of the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet Award Jury in 2023, Polish director, screenwriter, producer, actor, painter
Jez, who once served as the chairman of the jury of the Shanghai International Film Festival, said that the city of Shanghai is full of magic, the film selection of the film festival is excellent, and the friendships forged there are enduring.
2010 Asian Newcomer Unit Judge, Tokyo International Film Festival Selection Director Naozo Ichiyama
"I go to the Shanghai International Film Festival every year." Naozo Ichiyama said that the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Shanghai International Film Festival have a long-term cooperative relationship and recommend films to each other. "Last year, we invited many stars and creators of Chinese films to Tokyo, and our box office increased significantly."
Marco Mueller, 2021 Golden Goblet Awards Main Competition Judge, Producer, and Film Critic
"All movie roads lead to Shanghai." Marco Mueller said: "If you want to connect with the Chinese film industry efficiently, come to the Shanghai International Film Festival. If you come to the Shanghai Film Festival two or three days in advance, you will find that the theaters are full of young audiences queuing up to buy tickets."
Wen Yan, judge, director, screenwriter, and producer of the 2023 Golden Goblet Awards Main Competition Unit
Wen Yan recalled that her fate with the Shanghai International Film Festival began with the film project venture in 2010. When she returned to the Shanghai International Film Festival as a judge in 2023, she saw many works of new generation filmmakers there. In her opinion, the Shanghai International Film Festival is an important platform for Chinese filmmakers to explore and grow.
The crew of "The Girl Who Wants to Fly" attended the 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival Berlin Promotion Conference
This time, she came to Berlin with her new work "The Girl Who Wants to Fly". "This is a story about the power of girls. I hope these stories can resonate with audiences around the world." She looks forward to more cooperation with the Shanghai International Film Festival in the future, and hopes that Chinese films will continue to present sincere and moving stories to audiences around the world.
Florence Girot, Senior Director of Film Festivals at the International Association of Film Producers
“FIAPF has established ties with the Shanghai International Film Festival since its inception, and it has been more than 30 years now. As one of the world’s most important film festivals, the Shanghai International Film Festival is very important to the Chinese film industry and to foreign filmmakers,” Florence shared.
2025 will be the 130th anniversary of the birth of world cinema and the 120th anniversary of the birth of Chinese cinema. It is reported that the Shanghai International Film Festival will plan screening units and theme film festivals that are both artistic and popular around this node.
As an important platform for communication and transactions in the film and television industry, the film market of the Shanghai International Film Festival will be merged with the TV market of the Shanghai TV Festival and upgraded to the "International Film and Television Market", and will be open to non-professional audiences for the first time. The new and comprehensive International Film and Television Market will be unveiled at the Shanghai International Film and Television Festival from June 21 to 25. It will gather popularity and enrich resources through exhibitions, market activities, open-air markets and other forms to create a diverse, fun and atmospheric market, a big party for film and television people to trade and negotiate together, promote the industrial integration and efficient connection of film and television, and actively promote the interactive communication and effective transformation between the industry and the public by increasing the participation of citizens. It is reported that the channel for booth application and activity collection for the "International Film and Television Market" was opened on February 15 and the deadline is May 31.
The 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival Berlin Promotion Conference
At the promotion meeting, the guests also watched the Shanghai International Film Festival promotional video and had in-depth exchanges on topics such as the hot spots of the Chinese film market and the development of the film and television industry at home and abroad. The discussion was lively and the atmosphere was cordial and friendly. Mutual understanding and friendship were enhanced, and it also further created broad space for Chinese and foreign filmmakers to deepen cooperation, share achievements and exchange experiences in the future.
People with similar aspirations will not consider mountains and seas as far away, but use film as a medium to promote mutual learning among civilizations. In June 2025, we look forward to more outstanding films and filmmakers coming to China and gathering in Shanghai, the "City of Film", to gather at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, share "film time", watch good films, taste delicious food, enjoy beautiful scenery, make friends, discuss cooperation, and work together to create cultural achievements for the future.
