The Shanghai International Film Festival has not only drawn cinephiles with its star-studded lineup but also ignited a surge in demand for festival-themed merchandise, as fans eagerly snap up cultural and creative products to commemorate the event.
The 27th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) opened on Friday. As part of the festivities, a SIFF pop-up store has been launched at the Shanghai Film Art Center, offering limited-edition merchandise that capture the attention of film enthusiasts.
This year's film festival features its largest-ever cultural and creative product lineup, with products in over 30 categories. The offerings, with more than 60 new designs, range from plush keychains and building-shaped fridge magnets, to art-inspired bookmarks.
"One of our umbrellas has sold far better than we expected, leading to some temporary stockouts in certain areas," said Fu Zhenyan, supervisor for cultural and creative products at the Shanghai International Film and TV Center.
"The Shanghai International Film Festival is held in June every year, which is the rainy season in Shanghai. We've always hoped the festival would release umbrella-themed cultural and creative products. And today, I was lucky enough to finally buy one," said Tao Ye, a film enthusiast who bought the umbrella.
Among the cultural products designed for the section of Tribute to Masters at the film festival, fridge magnets featuring iconic imagery from American filmmaker David Lynch's movies have become highly sought-after.
Meanwhile, the film festival debuted its first-ever cultural and creative products inspired by the Golden Goblet Award, aiming to cultivate its own original intellectual property (IP).
"We hope to develop this into our own IP, allowing film enthusiasts to feel an even deeper emotional connection with the Shanghai International Film Festival," said Mao Xueying, a member of the design team for the festival's cultural and creative products.
Cultural, creative products at Shanghai Film Festival snapped up by cinephiles
