Hong Kong director Andrew Lau (SINA.COM)

The organizing committee of the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival has announced the list of judges for its Golden Goblet Award.

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle will chair the seven-member panel, which also includes Chinese mainland film maker Huang Jianxin, American actress Andie MacDowell, Hong Kong director Andrew Lau, Swiss director Xavier Koller, Japanese actress Komaki Kurihara and South Korean producer Oh Jung-wan.

"A record 1,270 feature films were submitted for this year's Golden Goblet selection," said Tang Lijun, an official of the organizing committee. "Many of them demonstrated high artistry and distinctive styles."

Sixteen films have been selected to compete for the Golden Goblet, including German director Christoph Rohl's A Piece of Me, Italian film maker Dodo Fiori's Schemes of Affection and two Chinese productions--Empire of Silver by Yao Shuhua and Soul Searching by Tibetan director Wanma Caidan.

Tang also revealed the jury for the Asian New Talent Award, a competition that aims to discover Asia's next generation of film talent. This jury includes Chinese actress Yu Nan, Chinese director Zhu Wen, Singaporean director Royston Tan and Thai film maker Nonzee Nimibutr. South Korean film maker Im Kwon-taek will be the jury president.

The film festival runs from June 13 to 21 and will feature a selection of foreign and domestic films and talks.

About 300 movies will be shown at 25 local cinemas, including the Shanghai Film Art Center and Yonghua Cinema.

Tickets will be priced from 35 yuan ($5.13) to 60 yuan and will go on sale about one week before the festival, officials said.

"Another highlight of the festival will be forums and master classes hosted by well-known film makers and industry insiders," Tang said.

Stephen Daldry, who directed The Reader, is invited to give a lecture, as well as Danny Boyle.

(Shanghai Daily May 25, 2009)