A festival created by the people, Shanghai Film Festival
When watching movies at the Shanghai International Film Festival, I occasionally look back at the audience's faces illuminated by the screen. It is an expression shared by movie lovers, and it is hard to describe it in words. After thinking about it, the lyrics are still accurate: "Your eternal childlike innocence and pure expectation." This is also the unique atmosphere of the Shanghai Film Festival.
Some people also joked that in order to maintain this "atmosphere", they dared not be late or leave early, dared not whisper to each other, and dared not turn on their phones, otherwise there would be righteous audiences who would stop them. This tacit understanding formed by everyone reflects a simple sense of ownership: because they cherish this festival so much, they want to make it better.
The Shanghai International Film Festival itself is a festival for the people, and the extensive participation of the audience has always been its feature. Not to mention the "ticket-grabbing war" on the ticket opening day every year, during the screening period, citizens spontaneously compiled film reviews, cinema services and other information from various audiences for reference; some movie fans developed their own free ticket exchange app to facilitate more people to see their favorite movies; there are even citizens who sign up to become subtitlers for the Shanghai Film Festival, many of whom are college students.
I also noticed a detail. This year's Shanghai Film Festival, the Citizens' Movie Guide, which condenses the essence of the film schedule, reunited with movie fans. This booklet, which was created in 2006 and collects the "golden reviews" of the released films, has the participation of civilian forces from the beginning. There are many movie enthusiasts who signed up spontaneously in the writing team. Their professions are also varied, some are lawyers, some are accountants, and some are translators...
It can be seen that in the people's city of Shanghai, the value and significance of the Shanghai Film Festival has surpassed the simple supply of cultural products - it demonstrates a more subjective sense of participation. In other words, this is a festival shared by the people, and even more so a festival built by the people. For Shanghai, compared with simple cultural consumption, this subjective value may be more worthy of cherishing, and it is also the due meaning of a people's city.
At the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet Ceremony held on the evening of the 15th, French director Chen Yingxiong, chairman of the jury of the main competition unit, gave a speech on behalf of the jury, saying: "As jury members, we are not judging the films. On the contrary, these films are testing us to accurately express the beauty contained in them."
Perhaps we can borrow the words of director Chen Yingxiong, as an audience, we are not just watching a movie, but the film festival has inspired people to consciously explore more cultural connotations and add more cultural heritage to the city. Compared with other media forms, this "consciousness" based on film can better penetrate people's hearts and often has a more far-reaching effect.
If we extend the time dimension, we can see more clearly. Over the past 30 years since the Shanghai Film Festival was founded, it has been collectively enriched, shaped, and achieved by different groups including citizens, audiences, movie fans, and creators, and a virtuous cycle of film ecology has been built - the active participation of the audience has created a strong film atmosphere, which has provided richer soil and more diverse markets for film production, venture capital, etc., allowing film creation to flourish, which in turn has further increased the audience's willingness to go to the cinema.
The construction of an ecosystem is not a one-day job, but the result of long-term accumulation. This year's Shanghai Film Festival poster design has this meaning. In the neon light and shadow, the Grandview Cinema, Shanghai Film City, Cathay Cinema, Lyceum Theater and other theaters familiar to Shanghai Film Festival fans gradually appear. The accumulation of a century of light and shadow, the gathering of people coming and going, build a unique space for this movie city.
The light and shadow in the cinema shine on the face and into the heart, further confirming the subjectivity of people, and the subjectivity of people further constitutes the subjectivity of the city. This year's Shanghai Film Festival coincides with the fifth anniversary of Shanghai's implementation of the important concept of "people's city". The power and significance of the word "people" are by no means limited to cinemas, let alone the 10-day session. When the screen goes out and the audience leaves, there will be more care for people's needs, encouragement for people's participation, and stimulation of people's vitality, lighting up everywhere in the city.
