Nicole Kidman shakes hands with enthusiastic fans. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Police keep order as thousands of fans try to see their favorite stars entering the Shanghai Grand Theatre. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

 

The 17th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) opened at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on Saturday night with more than 400 international and local film celebrities descending on China's most cosmopolitan city.

Nicole Kidman, here also to promote her latest film, Grace of Monaco, received an Outstanding Contribution to Cinema award from Hugh Grant and Hong Kong director, John Woo. Kidman sparkled brighter than her film with a dazzling bracelet and earrings setting off her slinky sequin dress, which looked similar to some of the costumes seen in the film.

Also at the opening ceremony Chinese film director Jiang Wen was handed an Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Film award by the Chinese actor and artist Qin Yi.

As well as being a special guest, John Woo introduced his new film, The Crossing. Set during the revolutionary period of 1949, the film tells the story of three doomed couples from the Chinese mainland who board the Taiping, an ill-fated ship bound for Taiwan. The film is already regarded by some as the "Chinese Titanic." One of the stars, Song Hye-kyo, from South Korea was there on opening night.

Enthusiastic fans strive to get their own star photographs. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

International star Gong Li (center) leads festival jury members into the Shanghai Grand Theatre. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

 

Chinese star Gong Li is the president of the jury for the 17th SIFF, the first time a woman has headed the jury and an appointment that reflected the festival's theme of "women in cinema." She was joined on stage on opening night by fellow jury members British director and screenwriter Sally Potter, South Korean filmmaker Im Sang-soo, Japanese director Shunji Iwai, Iranian actor Payman Maadi, Danish director Lone Scherfig, and Chinese mainland filmmaker Liu Jie.

The most orderly team appeared on the red carpet Photo: Yang Hui/GT

British actor Hugh Grant looks cheerful on the red carpet. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Other famous faces who walked the opening night red carpet included Kirsten Dunst, John Cusack and Hayden Christensen (Christensen stars in Nicholas Powell's upcoming American action film Outcast).

The crew of Wolf Totem (a new Chinese-language film about the relationship between a man and a wolf) also arrived including director Jean-Jacques Annaud and Chinese stars, Feng Shaofeng and Dou Xiao.