Japanese drama Yoko scooped three prizes in the main Golden Goblet competition of this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF, June 9-18), including best feature film.
Directed by Kumakiri Kazuyoshi, the film also won best actress for Rinko Kikuchi’s performance and best screenplay for Muroi Kosuke and Namiko Sou. The film tells the story of a reclusive woman who is forced to face the real world when she takes a cross-country journey to attend her father’s funeral.
Kikuchi is known internationally for her role in Babel, for which she picked up an Oscar nomination. Kumakiri Kazuyoshi earlier this year had #Manhole play at Berlin film festival.
SIFF’s Jury Grand Prix went to feature-length documentary Muyeres, directed by Spain’s Martha Lallana, exploring the preservation of the oral traditions of the Asturias region of northern Spain. The film also won best cinematography for the work of Toni Vidal.
Best director was awarded to Chinese filmmaker Liu Jiayin for All Ears, about a failed screenwriter who writes eulogies for funerals and in researching other people’s lives finds meaning in his own. Liu previously directed documentaries Oxhide and Oxhide 2.
Hu Ge won best actor for his performance in All Ears, jointly with Da Peng for his role in Jonathan Li’s Dust To Dust (scroll down for full list of winners).
SIFF’s Asian New Talent section, which became part of the Golden Goblet Awards from this year, presented its top prize for best film to Sunday from Uzbekistan’s Shokir Kholikov, while best director was shared by Kazakhstani filmmaker Aisultan Seit for Qash and Chinese director Luo Dong for May (scroll down for full list of winners).
In SIFF’s accompanying projects market, SIFF Project, the top awards were given to Chinese filmmakers Yesir and Emetjan Memet and Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chui Mui (scroll down for full list of winners). The SIFF Project jury was headed by Chinese filmmaker Wuershan.
SHANGHAI 2023 WINNERS:
GOLDEN GOBLET AWARDS:
Best Feature Film – Yoko (Japan), dir: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri
Jury Grand Prix – Muyeres (Spain), dir: Marta Lallana
Best Director – Liu Jiayin, All Ears (China)
Best Actor – Hu Ge, All Ears (China), dir: Liu Jiayin & Da Peng, Dust To Dust (China), dir: Jonathan Li
Best Actress – Rinko Kikuchi, Yoko (Japan), dir: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri
Best Screenplay – Muroi Kosuke & Namiko Sou, Yoko (Japan), dir: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri
Best Cinematography – Toni Vidal, Muyeres (Spain), dir: Marta Lallana
Outstanding Artistic Achievement – Good Autumn, Mommy (China), dir: Chen Shizhong
Best Documentary Film – Anxious In Beirut (Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Spain), dir: Zakaria Jaber
Best Animation Film – Four Souls Of Coyote (Hungary), dir: Áron Gauder
Best Live Action Short Film – The House We Had (Russia), dir: Andrey Krechetov
Best Animated Short Film – Chasing Birds (Iceland, Canada), dir: Una Lorenzen
ASIAN NEW TALENT AWARD:
Best Film – Sunday (Uzbekistan), dir: Shokir Kholikov
Best Director – Aisultan Seit, Qash (Kazakhstan) & Luo Dong, May (China)
Best Actor – Yue Hao, Day Dreaming (China), dir: Wang Zichuan
Best Actress – Sorour Peyrovani, 1.5 Horsepower (Iran), dir: Rasool Kahani
Best Scriptwriter – Chen Xiaoyu, Gone With The Boat (China), dir: Chen Xiaoyu
Best Cinematographer – Davood Malek Hosseini, Cause Of Death: Unknown (Iran), dir: Ali Zarnegar
SIFF PROJECT MARKET WINNERS:
Recommended WIP – Gods Are Watching, dir: Yesir.
Recommended New Talent Project – Floating Cloud, Lone Crane, dir: Emetjan Memet.
Recommended Project for Creativity – All About Yuyu, dir: Tan Chui Mui.
Special Recommended Project by Jury – Two Time Zones, dir: Gao Ming
Image Forestt Post-Production’s Choice – Reflections In The Lake, dir: Zhai Yixiang
Mofei Pictures (New Voice) Post-Production’s Choice – She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones, dir: Qu Youjia
Phenom Films Post-Production’s Choice – Untamed, dir: Song Pengfei.
Dirty Monkey 72 Transformations Film Project Post-Production’s Choice – Fiery Eyes, Cold Embrace, dir: Geng Zihan
Baination Post-Production’s Choice – The Embers, dir: Sun Aoqian
Aimmedia Pictures Post-Production’s Choice – The Front Tooth, dir: Li Xin
Wanda Media’s Elite+ Project Post-Production’s Choice – Fiery Eyes, Cold Embrace, dir: Geng Zihan
Alibaba Pictures Post-Production’s Choice:
The Fresh Girl, dir: Chen Meiyu
A Story Untold, dir: Jinying Chen
Fiery Eyes, Cold Embrace, dir: Geng Zihan