Wolfram China Premiere sells out at Shanghai International Film Festival

Wolfram China Premiere sells out at Shanghai International Film Festival

The China premiere of Warwick Thornton’s newest film Wolfram at the Shanghai International Film Festival was held on Sunday, 14 June, with a sold-out screening bringing together Australian and Chinese industry guests, dignitaries and filmmakers at Shanghai’s historic Cathay Theatre.

Presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), in partnership with the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR), the premiere formed part of AACTA’s three-year cultural and industry exchange initiative designed to strengthen creative, cultural and professional ties between Australia and China’s screen sectors.

Wolfram was a headline title in the Shanghai International Film Festival’s 2026 Australia Focus program, which also showcased Australian storytelling through screenings of First Light (2025), Mockbuster (2025), and a restored presentation of the Australian classic Storm Boy (1976).

Director Warwick Thornton attended the premiere alongside producers Greer Simpkin and David Jowsey, with guests including John Williams, Australian Consul-General in Shanghai, Nancy Gordon, CEO of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, and senior Australian and Chinese industry representatives.

The evening began with an industry pre-reception before the premiere screening, followed by an on-stage Q&A with the filmmakers. The film was warmly received by the Chinese audience as a powerful new First Nations Australian work from one of the country’s most acclaimed filmmakers.

AACTA Chair Jack Christian said "Wolfram’s China premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival was a significant recognition of Australian storytelling and the international strength of the Australian screen industry.

“Warwick Thornton is one of Australia’s most distinctive filmmakers, and Wolfram is exactly the kind of bold, original work that deserves to be seen on major international stages,” he said.

“Australian screen culture is strongest when our films are not only celebrated at home, but part of major international conversations. Through our partnership with NFACR, AACTA is proud to present Wolfram in Shanghai and to continue building creative and professional connections between Australia and China’s screen communities.”

AACTA will also lead a major industry forum at the Shanghai International Film Festival Market on Saturday, 20 June. Filming in Australia: Incentives, Facilities and Co-Production Opportunities will connect Australian and Chinese screen professionals and provide Chinese producers, filmmakers and industry leaders with a practical overview of Australia’s screen ecosystem, including production incentives, studio infrastructure, locations, post-production capabilities and international co-production pathways.
 

Past initiatives have included Access Australia, a dedicated Australian content portal launched on Chinese streaming platform Bilibili; an animation and VFX masterclass with Animal Logic at the Shanghai International Film Festival; an Australia-China Co-Production Forum; and AACTA’s 2023 presentation of Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson at the Beijing International Film Festival, marking the first Australian Indigenous film selected for that festival’s official program.