A fantasy extravaganza inspired by a Chinese ghost story opened the 15th edition of Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) on Saturday following a star-studded red carpet session and an extravagant opening gala.

"Painted Skin: The Resurrection" is a sequel to the 2008 blockbuster "The Painted Skin" which was reported to rake in 250 million yuan (US$39.3 million) in ticket sales revenue in China. The sequel, with featuring the return of some of the original actors like including Zhao Wei, Chen Kun and Zhou Xun and adding the increasingly prominent actress Yang Mi to its cast, discusses a cliché topic: which matters more for love, good looking or a true heart?

The one and a half hour red carpet session was surely star-dazzling with 400-strong filmmakers from China and abroad showing up, according to the organizers. They included Chinese heavyweights such as Feng Xiaogang, See-Yuen Ng and Tony Leung, and Hollywood stars like Aaron Eckhart, Famke Janssen and Heather Graham.

Hong Kong veteran actor Chow Yun-Fat was given the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Cinema. After accepting a trophy from his peer, Jackie Chan, Chow thanked his producers and audience, whom he referred to as his "bosses". "Without the supports of my bosses, I could not live this long," he said jokingly.

The Outstanding Achievement Award went to Hollywood accomplished producer Mike Medavoy. The 71-year-old has produced over 300 films during his decades-spanning career, of which 7 won the Oscar for the best picture Oscars.

The Jewish producer said that Shanghai gave his parents shelter during the Second World War. Born in Shanghai, he referred to the city as his "roots." He said that it was the films he saw in his childhood in Shanghai that made him interested in filmmaking.

(China.org.cn, CNTV June 18, 2012)

周六晚，一部取材于鬼故事的魔幻大片揭开了第15届上海国际电影节的大幕，随后的红毯仪式明星荟萃，开幕晚会也尽显奢华。

《画皮之重生》是2008年大片《画皮》的续集，据报道，当年《画皮》全国票房狂揽2.5亿元。续集中，原来的演员阵容赵薇、陈坤和周迅回归，人气正旺的杨幂也强势加入。续集的主题老生常谈：对于爱情，美貌和真心哪个更重要？

一个半小时的红毯仪式自然是星光闪耀。主办方表示，有400多位国内外电影人登上红毯，包括中国大腕级人物冯小刚、吴思远和梁朝伟，还有艾伦·艾克哈特、法米克·詹森和海瑟·格拉汉姆等好莱坞巨星。

香港演员周润发拿到了华语电影杰出贡献奖，成龙为其颁奖。从他的同行手中接过奖杯后，周润发说制片人和观众都是他的“老板”，并感谢他们。他开玩笑地说：“没有这些老板的支持，我不会活到现在。”

美国知名制片人麦克·迈达沃伊获得了本届电影节电影杰出成就奖。这位71岁的制片人在过去几十年的电影生涯中，制作了超过300部电影，其中7部获得了奥斯卡最佳影片奖。

他说，他是犹太人，二战期间他的父母曾在上海避难。他出生于上海，因此他称上海是他的“根”。他说正是童年时在上海看的电影激发了他对制作电影的兴趣。