Jin Jue Award Winners of 2008 Shanghai International Film Festival:

Best Feature Film: "MUKHA"
Directed by: Vladimir Kott (Russia)

Jury Grand Prix: "OLD FISH"
Directed by: Gao Qunshu (China)

Best Director: Maris Martinsons for "LOSS" (Lithuania)

Best Actor: Ma Guowei in "OLD FISH" (China)

Best Actress: Emilia Vasaryova in "VACLAV" (Czech Republic)

Best Screenplay: Marek Epstein for "VACLAV" (Czech Republic)

Best Cinematography: Florian Schilling for "MY MOTHER'S TEARS" (Germany)

Best Music: Andrius Mamontovas for "LOSS" (Lithuania)

SIFF Asia New Talent Awards:

Jury Prize: "Lucky Dog" (China)
Hero of the film is a retired railway mechanical engineer. After his retirement he has to care for his sick wife and he is looking for new jobs in many different areas but must discover that he now belongs to a generation of the past for which people of today have little understanding. The film fascinates through its humorous and realistic narration, his fantasy and exact observation. It is also a film of human warmth and compassion.

Best Director: Hyeon-gi Hong for "Thirsty, Thirsty" (Korea)
The film portrays a middle aged man who is a debt collector for an agency but who is himself indebted. Many other persons around him are also victims of a universal system of loans and debts. With great cinematic originality and good camera work as well as superb direction of actors the film develops a critical image of contemporary Korean society.

Best Film: "Winds of September"
Directed by: Tom Shu-Yu Lin (Taiwan, China)
The film tells the story of two friends who are high school students and who are passionate members of a baseball team. Through their story, the film develops with great subtlety a picture of the life style, the feelings and ambitions of a generation of Youth in Taiwan ten years ago.

The theme of this year's festival has been decided as "The Power of Filmmakers for The Light of Life". The Awarding Party of "Jin Jue Award" will be simplified this year due to the Sichuan earthquake.

The 11th SIFF Press Conference was held in Shanghai International Convention Center on June 13rd. Ren Zhonglun, Vice-President of SMG, President of Shanghai Film Group and Executive Vice-President of 11th SIFF organizing committee and Tang Lijun, Deputy Secretary General of 11th SIFF organizing committee attended the conference.

During the conference, Tang first made an overall introduction of the major activities and forum of SIFF. The 11th Shanghai International Film Festival, hosted by the State Administration of Radio, Film & Television and Shanghai Municipal Government, will be held from June 14th to June 22nd. To promoting the communication and cooperation between China and oversea countries in motion picture industry and encouraging the progress of Chinese motion picture industry, the theme of this year will be "The power of filmmakers for the light of life", in consideration of the current circumstances of earthquake relief work, and in hope of gathering the social influence of filmmakers and films. In this year's festival, the Red Carpet Show has been changed into the Walk of Love, and there will be more than 200 film stars walking on it. It is said the festival will have earthquake relief elements, for example: the awarding party of "Jin Jue Award" will be simplified, and the money raised in specific sections will be used to buy cinematographic projectors for the earthquake-hit areas.

Meanwhile, this year's Shanghai Film Festival will further upgrade its authority, professionalism and easier access to common people. In organizing the major programs such as the "Jin Jue Award", "Asia New Talent", Film Market, Film Studio Exhibition and SIFF Forum, the Shanghai Film Festival is trying to make a boost to the Chinese or even the Asian film industry and take an active part in promoting the development of film industry. It is also making great efforts to make more and more people accessible to good films and have the chance to enjoy the artistic charm of films meanwhile enhance the power of the city.

On behalf of the organizing committee, Ren Zhonglun delivered a speech and pointed out the three highlights of the 11th Shanghai Film Festival. Firstly, considering the particular background of the Wenchuan Earthqake , the festival has adjusted the old major events of the past festivals and arranged a series of new ones related to the theme: "The Power of Filmmakers for the Light of Life"to represent the media's sense of mission and responsibility. Secondly, the quality of the entries and the line-up of the juries are both better than those of the past. As for the entries, by April 30th, the 11th Shanghai Film Festival has received 1090 films from 76 countries and regions, which broke the record in history of the Shanghai film festivals. Moreover, number of the films entering for events such as "World Premier", "International Premier" and "Asian Premier" are on the substantial increase. The last highlight is the host of the "Cooperation of Film and Industry Capital" forum where master filmmakers and heads of some renowned investing institutes will be invited to attend.

By Liu Jing
Full Article at:
www.siff.com/Articleen/ShowArticle.asp

Best Feature Film: ACCORDING TO THE PLAN (Germany) by Franziska Meletzky
Word by Jury: The truth of the life has been expressed with laughs and tears in the film.

Jury Grand Prix: THE NEW MAN (Sweden/Finland) by Klaus Haro
Word by Jury: The suffering never stops love! The human nature of caring is always shining in the film.

Best Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang THE GO MASTER (China)
Word by Jury: Tian Zhuangzhuang is more than a director, should say, he is also a writer and thinker. He is never afraid of the loneliness, but keeps showing the best of human nature through normal-life-details.

Best Actor: Juan Jose Ballesta DOGHEAD (Spain)
Word by Jury: The youth at a loss made him a pure person.

Best Actress: Corinna Harfouch, Dagmar Manzel, Kirsten Block, Christine Schorn ACCORDING TO THE PLAN (Germany)
Word by Jury: We really cannot decide who the best is, but we already can tell what love is and what life is by their performances.

Best Screenplay: Shemi Zarhin AVIVA MY LOVE (Israel)
Word by Jury: The touching details have been woven into the beautiful story by such talented writer.

Best Cinematography: Wang Yu THE GO MASTER (China)
Word by Jury: The simplest images tell the richest story.

Best Music: Isao Tomita LOVE AND HONOR (Japan)
Word by Jury: The music of this film is the soul of the film hiding behind film characters.

Special Award of the 10th Shanghai International Film Festival: THE KNOT (China) by Yin Li
Word by Jury: The "out-of-date" love story in this film deeply touches audiences nowadays, expressing pure feeling well interpreted by classical emotions.