The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival opened on June 12 with the launch of a new Technology Creation and Fabrication Unit and a parallel press conference for the Shanghai High-Tech Films and Televisions City, held in the city’s Songjiang district.

The event drew senior officials and industry figures to mark what organizers billed as a new phase in Shanghai’s drive to merge film production with advanced technology.

Fang Shizhong, executive vice minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and director of the Shanghai Film Bureau, framed the initiative around three priorities: building a stronger industrial ecosystem using AI and ultra-high-definition tools; nurturing new forms of cinematic aesthetics through technology; and applying AI responsibly rather than letting it override artistic and creative judgment. Wang Huajie, secretary of the CPC Songjiang District Committee, cited the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor and Songjiang University Town as key drivers of the district’s growing AI-driven ecosystem for film production.

Cao Jun, member of the Party Leadership Group and deputy secretary-general of the China Film Association, speaking on behalf of Deng Guanghui, secretary of the Party Committee of China Film Association, pointed to the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period as a critical window for China’s film industry to assert itself in technology development. He called on practitioners to use new tools to upgrade creative workflows, expand the industrial ecosystem through a “film plus” model, and strengthen copyright protection.

The event served as a showcase for the Shanghai High-Tech Films and Televisions City’s newly launched full-chain digital and intelligent ecological matrix – five service platforms spanning copyright trading, interactive short drama production, content incubation, AI-powered creative production, and film-and-cultural-tourism integration. The platforms include the Shanghai International Short Drama Copyright Exchange Center, the AI Interactive Short Drama Creation Public Service Platform, Senyu SPACE MCN AI Full-chain Empowerment Platform, AIGC All-in-One Integrated Creative Platform, and the Huace Yangtze River Delta International Film and TV Center AIGC All-scenario Cultural Tourism and Film Empowerment Platform.

SFC Haopu Smart Industrial Community launched its AI+ Digital Content Industry Innovation Platform at the ceremony, debuting a lineup of AIGC short dramas and announcing the first investments under the Haowen Film Technology Fund. The community also signed cooperation agreements with KPS, the Institute of Language Sciences of Shanghai International Studies University, AltStory, and Kuaizi, with the partnerships focused on data sets, linguistic corpus building, and research into AI agents.

Multiple cross-regional partnership deals were signed at the event. SFC Haopu and the Bund FTC formalized an industrial tie-up to collaborate on digital content production, AIGC technology application, and online content creation. Shanghai and Film Paradise Co., Ltd. separately signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Anhui Film Group to jointly pursue the restoration of classic films in 4K and the innovative exploitation of film and television IPs.

The opening events drew more than 300 guests, including representatives from culture and tourism authorities across the Yangtze River Delta G60 Alliance, the Film Art Center of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and industry bodies including the Shanghai Radio, Film and Television Production Industry Association. A SIFFORUM session on the theme “Smart Tech, Immersive Worlds, the Next Film Revolution” followed immediately after the ceremony.