Shanghai 2012

Abstract

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012 The Shanghai International Film Festival may be the most prominent film festival in Mainland China, but its potential is untapped. If bureaucratic and censorship barriers were eased, Shanghai would be positioned to reshape its A-list status beyond paper. At the very least the festival could correct its blind spots, such as crafting a richer program in lieu of sweeping mainstream content, and ideally launching a serious focus on Mainland and Sinosphere cinema. Still, Shanghai is a good stop on the calendar to sample state sanctioned Mainland films unlikely to see the theatrical light of day elsewhere. Of its range of contemporary world cinema, the festival's annual showcase of Japanese films has drawn consistently huge crowds. But in the interim audiences will be watching if the latest round of political tensions between China and Japan will result in cinema as collateral damage....