Five documentary films competed for the Golden Cup Award in the documentary category at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival, and the creative teams of all five nominated films gathered at a press conference.
The five nominees – Spain’s Benigno, China’s Notes Unheard, North Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia’s Ruins, Chilean film The Tiger of the East, and Serbo-Croatian-Bulgarian film Wheels of Forgotten Dreams – span an intimate family chronicle, a meditation on personal freedom, an artistic adventure and a tale of immigration.
The Spanish-language film Benigno follows the last years of an old man’s life, shot on 8mm film. Director David Bote described a deliberate approach to the dignity of his subjects. “We always told ourselves that first and foremost we’re dealing with old people, and making the film is secondary,” Bote said. “So we worked with a small team and positioned ourselves as companions to document his life without intervention.”
Directed by Gu Yun, Notes Unheard traces the dynamic between father and son over several years, with repeated conversations highlighting the changing forces and love within their bond. Director Gu said he decided to leave the film’s ending open for the audience to interpret for themselves. Producer Ruby Chen said that viewers can empathize with both characters because the film is based on the rhythms of everyday life.
The Balkan co-production Ruins follows director Elena Chemerska as she works to restore a monument built by her father to convey a vision of collective freedom to the community. As she shifts between her identity as a visual artist and her father’s daughter, Chemerska considers what that structure means to those around her. “Through this film, I want to convey our understanding of freedom and how we should interact with the world,” she said.
Jorge Acevedo’s The Tiger of the East chronicles Chilean musician Andrés Contreras’ eight years of exploring his unique musical style. Acevedo said the long hours of shooting transformed the camera’s function from an observational tool to something more like a companion. “When I saw the final cut, I felt like I was watching a genuine reconstruction of my life,” Contreras said. “The music I was looking for, the people I met, and the emotions I experienced on screen…it’s all real.”
“Wheels of Forgotten Dreams” follows three Serbian truck drivers who immigrate to the United States in search of a better life. Coach Danilo Lazovic said he steered his approach away from material difficulties. “While filming, I didn’t want to focus too much on their financial plight or material hardship,” said Lazovic. “Instead, I focused on the resilience they showed on a mental and emotional level.” Producer Bojan Cangela said he was impressed by witnessing Eastern Europeans leave secure careers at home for manual labor in the United States.
