Shanghai Film Festival has officially unveiled the competition lineup for the 28th edition of its prestigious Golden Goblet Awards, with this year’s selections spanning fiction, documentary, animation, and short film categories from across the world.
The 2026 edition of the Shanghai Film Festival will run from June 12–21 in Shanghai and once again positions itself as one of Asia’s biggest showcases for international arthouse cinema, emerging filmmakers, and global co-production cinema. This year’s Golden Goblet competition lineup includes titles from Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America, reflecting the festival’s increasingly international scope and growing industry influence.
The main competition section features 12 films from 15 countries and territories, with all selected titles set to make their world premieres during the festival. The lineup includes Indonesia’s My Own Last Supper directed by Ismail Basbeth, Turkey-Germany co-production Night of Blindness from Reis Çelik, and Moroccan entry Halima directed by Yassine El Idrissi. China is represented by Atlantic Rhapsody from Zhong Kaifeng and The Great Skull directed by Liu Xiaoyang.
Additional competition titles include the Chinese Mainland-Hong Kong co-production Secret in the Box directed by Frankie Tam Gong-Yuen, Nicolas Rincón Gille’s Belgian entry Iluminada, Alan Minas’ Brazil-U.K. co-production Luiza’s Desert, Daniil Merkulov’s Russian feature Sea Sons, and two German productions — Josef Brandl’s Superbuhei and Susanne Heinrich’s The Miserable Mother. Canadian feature The Parking Spot rounds out the main competition lineup.
The main competition jury this year will be chaired by legendary Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai. The jury panel also includes Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, Chinese filmmaker Guan Hu, Kyrgyz director Aktan Arym Kubat, Mexican filmmaker Fernanda Valadez, Chinese actress Xin Zhilei, and acclaimed Georgian director Déa Kulumbegashvili.
One of the Shanghai Film Festival’s most closely watched sections remains Asian New Talent, which focuses on debut and sophomore features from emerging Asian filmmakers. This year’s lineup includes 12 films from across the continent and beyond, including India-Germany co-production Hunter’s Moon directed by Ridham Janve and Thailand’s 9 Temples to Heaven from Sompot Chidgasornpongse, which arrives fresh off its Cannes premiere.
Other notable titles in the section include Bangladesh-Germany co-production The Blind Girl and an Elephant, Jordan-Saudi Arabia co-production Boomah, Kyrgyz feature Skylark, and multiple Chinese entries including Cassowary, Her First Taste, and No Hard Feelings.
The Asian New Talent jury will be presided over by Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, whose debut feature Ilo Ilo won the Camera d’Or at Cannes. Joining him on the jury are Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini, Chinese director Liu Jiayin, Kazakh filmmaker Farkhat Sharipov, and Taiwanese actor Wen Qi.
Beyond fiction filmmaking, the Golden Goblet Awards also feature dedicated documentary and animation competitions. The documentary lineup includes Chinese film Notes Unheard, Chilean documentary The Tiger of the East, and Elena Chemerska’s multinational co-production Ruins. Meanwhile, the animation section includes titles such as Indonesia’s Garuda: Dare to Dream, French animated feature Lucy Lost, and Scandinavian co-production Dante.
The Shanghai Film Festival will also host live-action and animated short film competitions featuring emerging filmmakers from China, Europe, North America, and Latin America.
As global cinema increasingly shifts toward Asia for both artistic innovation and expanding theatrical markets, the Shanghai International Film Festival continues strengthening its role as one of the region’s defining cultural and industry events. With a lineup built around world premieres, international discoveries, and emerging talent, the 2026 edition is expected to attract significant attention from distributors, critics, sales agents, and global festival observers throughout the month of June.
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