Tony Leung Chairs Shanghai Festival's Golden Goblet Jury
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- Tony Leung Chiu-wai chairs the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival's international jury — his first time leading a Chinese festival jury — pledging to argue his case and draw on fellow jurors' director and acting perspectives, given his 40-year career as a performer.
- Dora Bouchoucha, the sole African jury member, argued that talent and a director's cinematic vision matter more than resources, citing the Egyptian Golden Goblet entry "Happy Birthday" as a representative of lower-budget independent production.
- Guan Hu, whose "Black Dog" won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes, said good films "need no words to explain" and deliver cultural communication through sensory and cinematic impact.
- Aktan Arym Kubat returns to Shanghai for a third time, now as juror after winning last year's Golden Goblet with "Black Red Yellow," joking that he wants the new competitors to see the jury as good-tasting rather than bad.
- Fernanda Valadez attributed the current global spotlight on Latin American cinema to filmmakers exploring new genres and more authentic, particular storytelling approaches.
- Xin Zhilei, the Venice Volpi Cup winner for "The Sun Rises on Us All," is serving on a festival jury for the first time and called the responsibility "slightly stressful" but a great honor.
- The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival runs June 12–22, with the Golden Goblet Awards presented at the closing ceremony on June 20.
Why it matters: The jury pairs a Hong Kong industry icon (Leung) with a Cannes-recognized Chinese director (Guan), a Venice-winning Chinese actress (Xin), and filmmakers from Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and Mexico — a deliberately cross-continental panel. The Golden Goblet chosen by this lineup on June 20 will test whether Shanghai's main competition can deliver a winner with resonance beyond Chinese box-office metrics.
