Official Posters Released for 30th STVF

Urban Scenes as Film Frames

Tasked with creating posters for both festivals, Lin Xi, known for his iconic film posters, pondered over the artistic approach and medium. “Unlike promoting a single film, these festivals are grand cultural celebrations that invite public engagement - from screenings and discussions to diverse events,” he noted, “The posters should speak through the philosophy of “Less Is More”, conveying either Shanghai’s screen heritage, or concepts like ‘City of Film’.”

Shanghai is the City of Film. For the film festival poster, Lin Xi established the creative direction of “Cinema as Life” from the outset, drawing inspiration from Shanghai’s daily life. “This year’s film festival posters are actually a series - after finalizing the core visual, we extended it into three distinct scenes.” These scenes depict: a cyclist gliding under the plane trees of Wukang Road, dancers silhouetted against the Pujiang Hotel near Waibaidu Bridge, and a fleeting encounter on the spiral staircase of an old villa along West Nanjing Road. Each location holds its own cinematic story; every frame feels like a moment of life frozen in time.

To capture the essence of “Cinema as Life”, Lin Xi and his team moved away from bold, dramatic visuals. “We discussed over countless concepts before settling on soothing, tender imagery with a romantic palette and mood - creating visuals that linger.”

Shanghai is also a TV hub. As the city hosts the 30th edition of its TV Festival, Lin Xi has woven the concept of “Thriving at Thirty” into the poster design. “The staircase motif symbolizes growth - each step honoring the past while ascending toward new horizons,” he explains. This visual narrative serves as both a tribute to the festival’s enduring legacy and an aspirational gaze into its future.

Lin Xi describes this year’s dual festival posters as “slow-burn designs” with layered details that invite a visual treasure hunt. Film fans and audiences will discover intentional symbolism in every element, from the café chairs and wall art to the custom typography. The posters are designed to inspire an unspoken game of discovery between the festivals and their followers and audiences.

Vibrant Pulse of Shanghai

Lin Xi speaks of his deep connection with Shanghai’s film culture. In 2019, while working on a project in the Yangtze River Delta region, he made a memorable trip by train to Shanghai, as an ordinary moviegoer, to catch two festival screenings. “That was my first SIFF experience purely as a fan, and it felt magical,” he recalls. He also devoted hours to exploring the Shanghai Film Museum, floor by floor. “Seeing props, set designs, and even the earliest cameras on display - it was like walking through the evolution of Chinese cinema right at its birthplace. Profoundly inspiring for someone in my field.”

His connection to Shanghai television runs even deeper, rooted in childhood nostalgia. The animated classics broadcast by Shanghai Media Group - from Calabash Brothers to Inspector Black Cat - were the joy of his younger days. As an adult, he is also engrossed in hit series like Blossoms Shanghai and The Long Season, noting with pride: “These favorites of mine all won Magnolia Awards.”

That special connection and the design commission together brought Lin back to Shanghai. During his stay in the city, he made Xinhua Road his base and wandered throughout Shanghai, immersing himself in its cinematic atmosphere. To find the perfect spiral staircase that captured Shanghai’s essence, he visited locations like Columbia Circle on West Yan’an Road and the Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts on Fenyang Road, stopping at each spot to take it in. To photograph the Bund from a fresh perspective, he rode the ferry between Jinling Road and Dongchang Road piers. He rode his e-bike beneath the plane trees, soaking up the lively atmosphere of what locals jokingly call “Wu’an Ancient Town”, while also frequenting cafés to experience the youthful vitality behind Shanghai’s reputation as the “Capital of Coffee”.

This vibrant tapestry of life in Shanghai - where steaming street food meets high-end glamour, where everyday warmth blends with metropolitan energy - ultimately shaped Lin Xi’s profound understanding of “Cinema as Life” and the city’s upward spirit, all distilled into the final poster designs. Here, truly, “every frame tells a life story”.