Movie fans have voiced high expectation for the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival, which will run from June 12 to 21 and stage over 400 selected movies.

This year's film festival will span 47 cinemas across Shanghai and five cities in the Yangtze River Delta, staging over 420 films in more than 1,500 screenings.

A total of 250,000 tickets were sold online just 15 minutes after sales began, with three hottest sections covering 4K restoration, global award-winning films, and Asian masterpieces.

"I've been watching for 20 years. To truly enjoy a film, you should watch it at a film festival," said movie fan Xia Zuxiang.

"I planned to buy around 20 sessions and I've managed to get them all," said Wang Chenwei, another festival attendee.

In addition to popular screening sections, this year's event has also specially arranged a domestic film section, which features 15 classic and emerging Chinese films that showcase China's geographical features and cultural diversity.

"This year, we have specially planned a film festival section called 'Grand Landscape: A Cinematic Portrait of China', which is divided into three sections to showcase aspirations for, feelings for and beauty of our landscape. The section will use 15 diverse domestic films to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China," said Chen Guo, managing director of Shanghai International Film and TV Events Center.

This year's film festival will also stage a special exhibition showcasing more than 500 precious artifacts to display the development of the Shanghai International Film Festival and the Shanghai TV Festival over the past decades.

In addition, cultural and creative pop-up stores have geared up for partnerships with the festival and are expected to launch nearly 60 related products during the event.