电影节闭幕，但幕后的电影梦想继续

第二十三届上海国际电影节于昨日闭幕。

在全力防控疫情的特殊背景下，本届上影节以影院展映、露天放映和线上放映三线并进的方式，邀请了中外影人共同探讨危中寻机。

不设红毯、不办盛典、不评奖项……今年的上影节看似简单低调，但实际上内容颇丰。在过去的九天时间里，上影节展映中外电影322部，其中世界首映、国际首映、亚洲首映和中国首映的电影占232部，共计在29家电影院放映1146场，接待观众147502人次。今年上影节开放的全新“露天放映”板块，共放映影片50部147场，观众总计13570人次。

The 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) ended on Sunday without glittering trophies or red carpets, indicating the realities of running a film festival in the coronavirus era.

The nine-day event brought key figures in the Chinese film industry to Shanghai, with famous foreign filmmakers participating in diverse online sessions and activities.

This year's event saw 322 movies screened at 29 designated movie theaters across the city, many of which were new releases. According to the organizers, 3,693 registered films from 108 countries and regions around the world were submitted.

The screenings, with seating capacity capped at 30 percent, still drew 147,502 viewers via outdoor and online events.

7月20日，中国内地影院有序复工。五天后，我们迎来了今年的上海电影节。今年这届特殊的上影节，无论是对中国电影人还是影迷来说都颇具安慰和鼓励的意义，是定心丸，也是强心剂。

而为大众送上这份“礼物”的，有这样一群幕后功臣。

电影节排片人王佳彦，从2000年开始接手上海国际电影节排片工作。对于资深影迷们来说，每年负责上影节审片和排片工作的这位“四眼老王”，可以说是“最熟悉的陌生人”。但即使拥有超过23年的排片经验，今年的上影节还是让老王印象深刻。

在以往，老王和同事们要负责将超过500部世界各地的电影分配到上海数十家放映点，详细到每部电影要放映多少次，什么时候放映。

今年，虽然上映的影片数量有所下降，但老王的工作量却丝毫未减。在疫情之下，不管是联系不同电影的制作方还是安排影院，难度都大大增加。

Wang Jiayan has been working with the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) since the very first edition. But over his 23 years on the job, this year's event, he says, is forever etched in his memory.

Even in the thick of the pandemic, Wang and his colleagues were still hunched over their desks, preparing for when the day the red carpet is rolled out. And while the usual fanfare and star-studded extravaganza never came to be this year, the film festival still materialized – a few weeks later than normal.

Wang is part of the festival's programming team, in charge of the screening schedule of films playing during the event. In non-pandemic years, he'd match around 500 titles, selected from around the world, with dozens of movie theaters and screening venues across Shanghai. He also coordinates everything from how many times a certain film will be shown to when it will be shown.

The poster of the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival at a screening venue in Shanghai. /CFP

This year, the films screened are down to around 350, but Wang's work isn't any less demanding.

"It is harder in every aspect – finding contacts, getting copies, everything," Wang told CGTN. Because of COVID-19, the producers of many foreign films needed a specific timetable to decide whether their works will make it to the event.

Meanwhile, with no word on when the cinemas would reopen and SIFF would be held, it was hard to make definitive plans. But Wang said his team never lost confidence, if anything, difficulties have brought everyone closer.

Wang Jiayan, screening schedule coordinator at SIFF, speaks to CGTN. /CGTN

Once the final dates were set, it was easier to dream up a more realistic vision for this year's event and communicate it with stakeholders at home and abroad.

Producers, filmmakers and the who's who in the film world offered their help, Wang said.

线上购票

Ticket booking goes online

Moviegoers print SIFF tickets that they booked online. /CGTN

对于今年第二次参加上影节的付晓波来说，本届上影节可以说颠覆了前一年的印象。

作为阿里影业公共事务专家的付晓波，最近忙得连头发都没时间剪。

今年的特殊情况，把以往至少需要提前三个月开始准备的电影票发售工作压缩到了短短的几天之内。而为了减少人际接触，降低新冠病毒传播的可能，今年上影节所有的电影票发售都交给了阿里影业旗下的淘票票软件，影迷需要通过线上预定。

Wang is part of a massive crew of behind-the-scenes professionals who were able to make the event a reality, despite odds stacking up against them.

Fu Xiaobo and his team members arrived in Shanghai two weeks ago.

"You can tell from my hair that I haven't had time to get a haircut," Fu jokingly said while talking about the difficulties of getting things ready for this edition of SIFF.

Fu is a PR specialist for Alibaba Pictures, and this is his second year working with SIFF – but it's a different experience this time around.

Fu Xiaobo, PR specialist for Alibaba Pictures, speaks to CGTN. /CGTN

"It was not until July 16 that we finally knew that SIFF would open on July 25, and tickets would be on sale on July 20," said Fu. "We squeezed [months' worth of] work into four days."

Preparation for ticket sales starts at least three months in advance.

This year, to reduce human contact, all tickets were exclusively sold online via Taopiaopiao, Alibaba Pictures' ticket booking service. The two sides teamed up six years ago to bring ticket booking at the fingertips of film fans.

Fu said elderly moviegoers in Shanghai would usually buy tickets from box offices. But this year, him and his team engaged in a campaign to inform them to get their hands on tickets using online platforms.

最后一道防线

The last line of defense

Moviegoers walk out of cinemas during the 23rd SIFF. /CFP

虽然上海的疫情已经得到了控制，但毕竟绝大多数放映厅是一个人流量较大的密闭空间，防疫工作不容丝毫马虎。

这也是永华影城有限公司营销经理钱智俊的一项重要工作内容。

在电影节到来之前，各大影院就已经做好了防疫措施，包括储备足够的口罩和消毒剂，对公共区域进行定时消毒。电影节期间，每个放映厅每天只放映两到三场电影，场间休息延长至40分钟以保证足够的清洁消毒时间。

Despite the epidemic situation coming under control in the city, hosting SIFF came with its own set of risks – notably somewhat large crowds in confined spaces.

A slew of measures have been in place in theaters including routine disinfection of halls, equipment and furniture, temperature checks at entrances, staggered seating arrangements, mask mandates during screenings and bans on food and beverage.

Qian Zhijun, the manager of Yonghua Cinema of Shanghai Film Co., Ltd., is tasked with keeping moviegoers safe. After a six-month shutdown, he says the staff are excited that doors are now open, and they're doing their best to enforce epidemic prevention rules.

The cinema has stocked up on protective gears such as face masks and sanitizers ahead of the event. Disinfection of public areas is also done regularly.

Qian Zhijun, manager of Yonghua Cinema of Shanghai Film Co., Ltd., speaks to CGTN. /CGTN

Qian said each hall has only two or three films screened every day, and the interval between screenings were adjusted from 10-15 minutes to 40 minutes, in order to provide enough time for cleaning.

"Pandemic prevention is our top priority right now. We hope everyone feels safe and worry-free when they visit movie theaters," said Qian.

今年的上海电影节闭幕了，即使有人暂时地缺席，影迷们没体验到在购票窗口前排队的雀跃，电影院里少了爆米花的香味，但也依旧有人在尽全力守护那些有关电影的梦想。

我们，影院见。