Shanghai International Film & TV Market Achieves Unprecedented Global Participation

The recently concluded Shanghai International Film & TV Market, co-hosted alongside the esteemed 28th Shanghai International Film Festival and the 31st Shanghai TV Festival, has witnessed an extraordinary level of global participation. This year’s event, held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center until June 24, marked a significant milestone in the film and television industry, as it unified professionals from various sectors, encompassing feature films, drama series, micro-dramas, documentaries, animation, and emerging audiovisual technologies.

The market showcased a remarkable turnout, attracting around 200 exhibitors, with 75 coming from 15 different countries and regions. This accounts for a staggering 50% increase compared to last year, demonstrating the growing international interest in this vibrant marketplace. Official delegations from Brazil, Russia, South Korea, and Spain set up dedicated booths, while representatives from Jordan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Croatia took the opportunity to discuss industry policies and collaboration prospects. Notably, Jordan's Royal Film Commission joined the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance, further expanding the network to 51 countries and 58 institutional members. Verified buyers representing major media groups, public broadcasters, and regional streaming platforms were present from six key regions worldwide.

The Shanghai TV Festival made significant strides this year, focusing on the burgeoning online audiovisual formats. The inaugural Youth Creation Day featured a series of workshops centered around AIGC content creation and micro-drama development. Dedicated forums explored the pathways toward fostering high-quality micro-dramas in the era of artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the festival spotlighted Shanghai's commitment to nurturing the micro-drama industry’s development and international outreach.

To enhance business matchmaking, the event introduced a digital upgrades initiative that significantly improved meeting efficiency. A newly implemented online meeting reservation system enabled exhibitors and buyers to arrange one-on-one meetings ahead of time, with nearly 300 cross-border meeting requests flooding in after its launch. The market also hosted numerous events focused on innovative technologies and the emerging business models within the film and television sectors. Notably, the AI BACKLOT technology forum examined themes related to cross-border co-productions, virtual production workflows, and AI-driven visual creation methodologies.

While showcasing Chinese cultural narratives, the Chinese Series Overseas Promotion Pavilion drew considerable attention for its short-form content, garnering interest from platforms across Southeast Asia, India, and Europe, eager to explore licensing and distribution opportunities. A workshop focused on global trends, held on June 21, collaborated with producers from the UK, India, and Malaysia to discuss the growing overseas demand for Chinese micro-dramas and the innovative production models driven by AI.

Chen Guo, the Managing Director of the Shanghai International Film & TV Events Center, articulated the market’s mission: to foster “two-way empowerment.” The objective is to provide international platforms for Chinese content creators and young talents while simultaneously broadening avenues for global cooperation and resource sharing.

This year, the Shanghai International Film Festival, recognized as China’s sole FIAPF-accredited A-list film festival, received a record-breaking 4,100 submissions from 125 countries and regions. Impressively, 82% of these submissions were world premieres, reaffirming the festival's escalating international significance and Shanghai’s growing stature as a central hub for global film and television industry collaboration. As the event continues to flourish, it serves as a testament to the enduring allure and influence of the film and television industry on a global scale.