The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) opened in Shanghai on Saturday, featuring a significant increase in global participation and a strong lineup of world premieres.
Co-hosted by China Media Group (CMG) and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, this year's festival received about 4,100 film submissions from 125 countries and regions, with entries from the Americas and Africa showing a marked increase.
Among the films competing for this year's Golden Goblet Awards, 41 are world premieres, accounting for 83.67 percent of the total and marking a 6.12-percent increase compared to last year. Notably, both the Main Competition and Documentary categories of the Awards feature only world premieres for the first time.
Beyond the awards, the festival is hosting a diverse array of industry events, including the Golden Goblet Forum, the Sci-Tech Innovation program, the AI Studio section, and the Belt and Road Film Week.
The 2026 China Movie and TV Night is scheduled to take place on Monday.
To mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Egypt, CMG has collaborated with the festival to launch a special Egyptian Film Week aimed at promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning between the two countries.
During the festival, more than 420 films from 77 countries and regions will be screened in over 1,600 sessions at 47 cinemas in Shanghai and five cinemas in other cities across the Yangtze River Delta region, alongside about 100 audience meet-and-greet sessions.
The festival has also collaborated with various neighborhoods across Shanghai to launch themed tour routes to create an immersive cinematic and cultural experience for the public.
The Golden Goblet Awards ceremony will be held on June 20, when the winners in all competitive categories will be officially announced.
Founded in 1993, SIFF has become a prestigious international event, reflecting Shanghai's ambition to establish itself as a global cultural hub. The festival has attracted growing international attention thanks to China's flourishing film market.
28th Shanghai Int’l Film Festival opens with strong global turnout
Merchants in Hangzhou, the capital city of east China’s Zhejiang Province, have innovatively added new elements to scented sachets, which are traditionally worn during the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival.
As the festival approaches, shops on the famous Hefang Street, a lively ancient thoroughfare that has been the heart of Hangzhou for centuries, are filled with a dazzling array of cultural products, including sachets. There are traditional zongzi (sticky rice dumpling)-shaped designs, as well as plush toys and traditional Chinese-style pendants that appeal to younger generations.
"For me, a pleasant fragrance is all that matters. Some might have a hint of lavender, which I would prefer," said Wang Yunhan, a local citizen.
Fang Huichuntang, a time-honored traditional Chinese medicine brand, has launched plush-style scented sachets that combine cartoon images with Chinese medicinal herbs and innovative flavors. In the past month, this series accounted for 47 percent of total sachet sales at the street stores.
"We collected hundreds of medicinal herbs, selected those with pleasant aromas, and had the (traditional Chinese medicine) director help us make several formulas based on their efficacy. The resulting powdered formulas will have a more refreshing and pleasant aroma, appealing to consumers," said Gou Lulu, cultural and creative product director of Fang Huichuntang.
Many sachets incorporating traditional cultural elements are also selling well, among them one with Dunhuang-mural-inspired colors is particularly eye-catching.
"We found this color very eye-catching, and at the same time, we looked for photos of the costumes of the flying apsaras in Dunhuang on social media platforms to see if our color design could create a similar effect," said Jiang Lingxia, deputy general manager of Hangzhou Hu Qing Yu Tang, another traditional Chinese medicine brand that launched the new sachet.
In addition to purchasing ready-made products, primary and secondary schools in the city have recently organized hands-on activities, leading students to experience the traditional festival culture through the process of making sachets by hand.
Traditional scented sachets refreshed with creative elements for Dragon Boat Festival
