The Shanghai International Film Festival 2025's overseas promotion activities concluded in the Red Sea.
On the evening of December 6th local time, the Shanghai International Film Festival held a Red Sea promotion event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. More than 200 filmmakers from China and abroad, as well as old and new friends of the Shanghai International Film Festival, attended the event. They continued to use film as a bridge to promote the vitality of Chinese cinema, connect diverse cultures around the world, and unite communities from all walks of life globally, working together to illuminate the path of cooperation and friendship with the light of film.
Shanghai International Film Festival 2025 Red Sea Promotion Event
As one of Asia's most vibrant film events, the Shanghai International Film Festival has grown into a leading international film festival globally. Every June, during the ten-day festival, the Shanghai International Film Festival screens more than 400 films in nearly 50 cinemas, welcoming nearly 500,000 audience members to enjoy a cinematic experience.
“Filmmakers around the world have always placed their trust in the Shanghai International Film Festival.” Cao Yin, deputy director of the Shanghai International Film & TV Festival Center, said in her speech at the promotion event that the festival received nearly 4,000 entries from 119 countries and regions in 2025, including about 200 films from the Middle East and North Africa. After selection, 20 films stood out with their fresh perspectives, profound themes and moving stories and will meet Chinese audiences on the big screen.
Cao Yin, Deputy Director of Shanghai International Film & TV Festival Center
“These submitted works highlight our growing ties with the Middle East and North Africa, including Saudi Arabia, and this deepening partnership is one of the core reasons we are gathered here today.” Cao Yin also specifically mentioned a film supported by the Red Sea Film Foundation, “Goodbye Julia” – which premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2024 and quickly secured a Chinese distributor, and is expected to be released in China soon. This “vividly demonstrates that our cooperation can yield meaningful and fruitful results, and we look forward to more excellent works from the Middle East and North Africa entering the Chinese market and reaching Chinese audiences.”
Furthermore, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance, established by the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2018, is particularly noteworthy and is considered "an important exchange window in the global film industry that combines professionalism and influence." As of this year, with the addition of the Serbian International Film and Music Festival and the Venezuelan National Film Foundation, the alliance has grown from 31 institutions in 29 countries at its inception to 57 institutions in 50 countries, enabling outstanding films to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries through its mechanism.
Wang Qimin, Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Jeddah
"Film is a language that transcends mountains and rivers, a bridge that connects hearts. It allows us to see the diversity of the world and understand each other's cultures within the confines of the silver screen," said Wang Qimin, Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Jeddah, in his speech. He warmly welcomed friends from the Saudi film industry to take a spontaneous trip to China next year, visit Shanghai, experience the vitality of the Shanghai International Film Festival, and jointly write a more brilliant cinematic chapter between Shanghai and Jeddah, and between China and Saudi Arabia, adding a cinematic backdrop to the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative between China and Saudi Arabia.
In the new year, the Shanghai International Film Festival is ready to embark on its journey from the red ocean to the "blue ocean." On December 1st, the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival officially launched its global call for submissions, encompassing five competition sections: the Golden Goblet Award main competition, Asian New Talent competition, documentary, animation, and short film, as well as an international film screening section. Filmmakers from around the world are welcome to join the cinematic rendezvous.
Call for submissions poster
At the promotional event, Holly Daniel, Director of the Film Market at the Red Sea International Film Festival; Wang Hongwei, Secretary General of the China Film Directors Association; Ahmed Shoki, President of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) and President of the Egyptian Film Critics Association (EFCA); Teng Junjie, Chairman of the Shanghai Art Film Alliance, and other old and new friends of the Shanghai International Film Festival expressed their anticipation for next year's festival and offered their best wishes, hoping that filmmakers from around the world would gather in Shanghai through film and create and share "film stories" in the city.
Holly Daniels, Director of Film Market at the Red Sea International Film Festival
Holly Daniels also emotionally recalled her visit to the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2024, which was an unforgettable experience, and suggested that everyone include the Shanghai International Film Festival in their must-see film festival schedule.
Producer and Secretary General of the China Film Directors Association, Wang Hongwei
“Shanghai is on the East China Sea, and Jeddah is on the Red Sea,” Wang Hongwei said. “The world’s oceans are connected, and I hope that the two film festivals can connect world cinema.”
Ahmed Shokhi, President of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) and President of the Egyptian Film Critics Association (EFCA)
Ahmed Shokhi attended the Shanghai International Film Festival for three consecutive years from 2017 to 2019 in different capacities, demonstrating the enduring strength of their friendship. He called on filmmakers from the Middle East to actively participate in the festival and submit their projects and films.
Director and Chairman of the Shanghai Art Film Alliance, Teng Junjie
Director Teng Junjie, who has also participated in many Shanghai International Film Festivals, praised the festival as a charming bridge where one can exchange the latest film ideas and creative information, and make many good friends who love film.
This promotional event coincided with the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival. At the festival's film market, the Shanghai International Film Festival also participated in the China Film Joint Exhibition, working with industry colleagues in China to amplify the voice of Chinese cinema, tell Chinese film stories, showcase the charm of Chinese films, and build valuable, mutually beneficial friendships with film professionals worldwide.
Since February this year, the Shanghai International Film Festival has held a number of exchange and promotion events in Berlin, Germany; Wellington, New Zealand; and San Sebastián, Spain. These events aim to open windows for film professionals around the world to gain a deeper understanding of the Shanghai International Film Festival, contribute to spreading the beautiful voice of Chinese films, building ties between Chinese and foreign film industries, connecting the global film market, actively promoting multicultural exchange and mutual learning among civilizations, and jointly writing a new chapter in cinematic history.
