Zhang Ziyi at the Shanghai International Film Festival.[China Daily]

Compared to the sophisticated Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals, the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) resembles a young boy entitled to spoiled behavior nolonger, yet far from having the maturity level to face its adversities and reproaches.

Cannes makes a name for its festival based on reliability; Berlin sets itself apart for its devotion to pushing serious films; and Venice is known for welcoming aspiring art hopefuls.

In Asia, there is strong government support behind the Pusan film festival, but it is the retrospective screening session of Hong Kong's festival that is still the best on the continent. Still, the Singapore festival provides a good window for Southeast Asian films to gain exposure to international cultural communications. Meantime, Taiwan's Golden Horse festival continues to enjoy a favorable reputation among Chinese worldwide.

But, the Shanghai festival, which recently celebrated its 11th anniversary on June 22, fails to claim its own name to fame - its image is at best, vague.

"Shanghai is one of the most concerned cities in the world, which works for hosting a film festival," said Taiwan filmmaker Peggy Chiao. "But, who you are is important. All successful film festivals have their distinctive orientations."

The vague orientation directly results from its lame selection of films.

Critics called the Best Feature Film Mukha by Vladimir Kott from Russia obscure and tedious. Other critics fell asleep during Lithuania film Loss for which Maris Martinsons took home the Best Director award. And, surprisingly, the closing film Merry Christmas was made three years ago.

"Not all films are actually bad ones," says Hong Kong critic Ma Ran. "The choices are just too safe. There are few striking, fresh and impressive works."

SIFF is currently the only A-grade film festival in China. Some say its poor selection has to do with the fact it cannot include films previously entered in other festivals of the same grade during the competitive season.

Joan Chen, one of the judges at SIFF this year, adds the festival is held only a mere month after Cannes, so filmmakers do not bother sending their films to the mainland.

But with a clear orientation, Ma believes it would be possible to select promising films, even for critics who only attend other grade-A festivals. Ma points to Sundance and Rotterdam, small-scaled festivals that have both reached such success.

And while enthusiasm for celebrities remains high, SIFF has increasingly become a party for local stars rather than international A-listers.

But, the entire picture for SIFF isn't all so bleak. This year, it brought back the Pitch & Catch Project Showcase. The program provides young aspiring filmmakers with opportunities to interact and discuss industry challenges with producers.

(China Daily June 25, 2008)