The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) opened in Shanghai on Saturday, featuring a significant increase in global participation and a strong lineup of world premieres.

Co-hosted by China Media Group (CMG) and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, this year's festival received about 4,100 film submissions from 125 countries and regions, with entries from the Americas and Africa showing a marked increase.

Among the films competing for this year's Golden Goblet Awards, 41 are world premieres, accounting for 83.67 percent of the total and marking a 6.12-percent increase compared to last year. Notably, both the Main Competition and Documentary categories of the Awards feature only world premieres for the first time.

Beyond the awards, the festival is hosting a diverse array of industry events, including the Golden Goblet Forum, the Sci-Tech Innovation program, the AI Studio section, and the Belt and Road Film Week.

The 2026 China Movie and TV Night is scheduled to take place on Monday.

To mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Egypt, CMG has collaborated with the festival to launch a special Egyptian Film Week aimed at promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning between the two countries.

During the festival, more than 420 films from 77 countries and regions will be screened in over 1,600 sessions at 47 cinemas in Shanghai and five cinemas in other cities across the Yangtze River Delta region, alongside about 100 audience meet-and-greet sessions.

The festival has also collaborated with various neighborhoods across Shanghai to launch themed tour routes to create an immersive cinematic and cultural experience for the public.

The Golden Goblet Awards ceremony will be held on June 20, when the winners in all competitive categories will be officially announced.

Founded in 1993, SIFF has become a prestigious international event, reflecting Shanghai's ambition to establish itself as a global cultural hub. The festival has attracted growing international attention thanks to China's flourishing film market.