ShPFF 2017 Chinese Short Film Competition – Meet the Jury

The Time is Now 酷影相随

Forty films were submitted to the ShPFF Chinese Short Film Competition, and in the run for five awards, including Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Sound & Music. The judges were very impressed by the diversity and quality of the short films. Winners and nominees of the awards will be screened at ShPFF.

As we are about to announce the nominees and winners, let us check out what the judges have to say:

Shitou

As an artist, Shitou spends most of her time in painting, photography, making documentary films, and involving herself in LGBTQI community work. She is also the Co-founder of Chinese Queer Independent Films (CQIF).

“More filmmakers have entered ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival this year and many have created high quality pieces that are of great meaning and diversity.” – Shitou

Popo Fan

Popo Fan is a queer independent director and a committee member of the Love Queer Cinema Week. His representative works include “New Beijing, New Marriage”, “Mama Rainbow”, “The VaChina Monologues” and “Pink Dads”. He received an award at the Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

“It is really impressive to see such a great number of films with such diversity in China, or even the entire film industry of Chinese films. I have learned so much myself! Congratulations to all the nominees!” – Popo Fan

Sammy Wu

Founder and Brand Director of Rela, Sammy Wu is also the Chairperson of Relan Entertainment. She participated in the 2016 Google Global Entrepreneurship Summit Women Program.

“There is a rich variety of Chinese short films this year, and some of them are surprisingly great with higher quality of production. They have shined in their own ways in revealing social issues, same-sex relationships, and gender topics. We are looking forward to having more both professionals and amateurs joining our Rainbow Filmmaker Program.” – Sammy Wu

Mora Li

Mora Li is Senior Director of Marketing and Entertainment of Blued and writer of the lesbian-themed novel, “You are my Fog”.

“All the pieces that entered the competition this year have more or less been voices for the LGBT community. They have helped express what the community think about, both at present and in the future. The films provoke the thinking of the audience – how we should view and treat love in different forms yet of the same nature. Chinese LGBT films can be overly glamorized or biased at times. We should focus on how to deliver a precise message on behalf of the community rather than satisfy the curiosity of people. I would like to quote the CEO of Blued, Geng Le – We are still in the middle of a big march; we still need to work harder. Not only should the soft power of culture serve the aesthetics of the mass but push the community forward as well.” – Mora Li

Joe Lam

Director of the Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (HKLGFF), Joe Lam is also the Founder of Dim Sum, an online gay magazine.

“I found many high quality short films among the Chinese short films of ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival, they are remarkable and explored many areas. I hope to introduce some of these short films produced in Mainland China to Hong Kong so that we could have a better understanding of the LGBTQ culture.” – Joe Lam

Vita Lin

Founder and organizer of Taiwan International Queer Film Festival (TIQFF) and former curator of Taiwan Women Film Festival, Vita Lin focuses on film production, film release and distribution, film screening, planning and organizing film festivals to advocate modern social issues.

“This year, the themes and manifestation of Chinese short films are diverse and techniques are mature. Same-sex communities from both city and rural areas, and diverse genders have been included. Chinese cultural elements have been well represented in some of the works too.” – Vita Lin

James Woolley

Festival Manager of Sydney’s Mardi Gras Film Festival for the last four years, James Woolley is currently Head of Marketing at one of the world’s longest running film festivals, Sydney Film Festival.

“The quality of the 27 finalists in the ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival Best Chinese Short Film Awards was very high. I was totally engaged by the stories being told and the filmmaking skills on display, and loved how each film was a different glimpse into Chinese LGBTIQ life. After judging these films I really look forward to seeing what else these great filmmakers do next.” – James Woolley

Special thanks to all 7 judges of this year’s Chinese Short Film Competition. Stay tuned for full program of ShPFF 2017!