What can we expect to see in Chinese cinemas over the next few months?

Some of the answers may be found at the ongoing Shanghai International Film Festival.

A pivotal indicator of Chinese cinema, the annual event is again seeing a flood of new films.

Encouraged by hits such as Dying to Survive, Operation Red Sea and The Wandering Earth, the forthcoming cinema showing will be dominated by films based on real stories or adapted from sci-fi novels.

In the 2019 lineup released by Tencent Pictures on Monday, nearly 75 percent of the 34 films and TV dramas feature realistic themes.

One of the highlights is The Rescue, Hong Kong director Dante Lam's action-packed thriller made on a budget of 700 million yuan ($100 million).

Based on real-life missions of the China Coast Guard, the film starring Eddie Peng has financial backing and production support from the Ministry of Transport.

The movie, shot in Fuzhou and Xiamen in East China's Fujian province as well as in Mexico, is set to open across China on the first day of the 2020 Spring Festival, which falls on Jan 25.