“Dog Bite Dog” emerged as a standout winner at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival‘s SIFF Project market, securing both the Recommended Projects award and Happy Mahua’s “Joyful Laughter” Special Attention recognition.
Directed by Cai Kunyu and written by Lin Xiao and Wang Hanmo, the Chinese genre project was among several titles selected across multiple categories at this year’s project market.
“Heading South,” directed by Yuan Yuan and co-written with Bolor Huang, secured the Specially Recommended Projects designation. Producer Wang Jing is shepherding the pre-production title.
In the emerging talent category, Guo Xiaodong’s “A Perfect Life” claimed the Young Director Recommended Projects award. The new talent project features a screenplay by Xi Longfei.
The Creative Recommended Projects honor went to “Wintertime in a Small Town,” helmed by co-directors Wu Chu and Gao Xiangyu, who also wrote the script. The pre-production project represents a collaboration between the directing duo.
“Good Drink Pub” proved particularly attractive to industry partners, earning both the In Production Recommended Projects award and Mofei Yinghua’s New Voice Focus recognition. Director-writer Emetjan Memet’s work-in-progress title is being produced by Derek Zhang with cinematography by He Xun.
Dong Jie’s “Zoom In, Zoom Out” captured the Annual Recommended by Audience award while also securing Yingqing Inbetween recognition alongside “Good Drink Pub.” The work-in-progress project, written and directed by Dong Jie, is produced by Cao Shanshan with Li Zhong serving as cinematographer.
Several other titles received specialized industry recognition. Sofia Wang’s “Find Your Way,” featuring a screenplay by Lilian Zhang and produced by Aubrey Zheng, earned Damai Entertainment Haina Support.
“The Seed Will Sprout (Shanghai Daughter)” scored Tian Gong Yicai Special Attention. The work-in-progress project is directed, written and co-produced by Agnis Shen alongside Xu Ruijing and Liao Yong, with Pu Wei handling cinematography.
Zhang Haidong’s “The Story of Xiao Dong” received Hualin Images Special Attention. The work-in-progress title, written and directed by Zhang Haidong, is produced by Chen Kunyang and Sun Yu with Yang Kehan as cinematographer.
Aitu Shi recognized “Wintertime in a Small Town” with its Special Attention award, while China Film backed Tang Jiaying’s “Back to Basics” with its Special Attention designation. The genre project, co-written by Chen Mo and Tang Jiaying, is produced by Jing Chen.
Launched in 2007, SIFF Project serves as a vital platform connecting Chinese and China-foreign co-production features with potential partners, investors and distributors. Over 17 editions, the market has facilitated more than 100 projects entering production, cementing its role as a crucial launching pad for Chinese and international collaborations in the region.
This year’s edition featured projects spanning genre films, new talent initiatives, co-productions, pre-production development and works-in-progress, reflecting the market’s comprehensive approach to supporting films at various stages of development and production.