Kidman, Portman to grace Shanghai Film Festival

Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman will attend the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), which is scheduled to run from June 14 to 22.

The festival's organizing committee announced on Monday evening that Kidman will walk the red carpet at the opening ceremony and she will bring her new film "Grace of Monaco" to the event. Portman will attend the closing ceremony of the festival.

Chinese actress Gong Li has been named president of the jury for the festival's main award, making her the first female to head the jury.

Film insiders predict that women and the development of film industry will become hot topics for this year's festival.

The organizing committee said the steady growth of China's annual box office receipts in recent years has been attracting many international filmmakers to promote their productions in Shanghai.

Founded in 1993, the SIFF is one of China's top international film events.